


The Pink Panther

by Lu_undy



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-30
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:20:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 61
Words: 192,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22484002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lu_undy/pseuds/Lu_undy
Summary: Mann Co. hires a new BLU Spy, a French... lady. Surely that won't help the male mercs who haven't seen a woman in years. Or would it?This story is BLU Lady Spy/RED Male Spy, not my usual thing but hopefully, it checks out ;)
Relationships: Spy/Spy (Team Fortress 2)
Comments: 55
Kudos: 62





	1. Chapter 1

"It's a bit of a long drive but it shouldn't be much longer now."

Miss Pauling adjusted a black lock of her hair behind her ear and placed a bag on her lap. She handed the new mercenary the last bits of equipment they'll need. Both of them were sitting on the back seats of a taxi, cutting through a snow desert, the thick white layer rolling as far as the eye could see.

"Here is your blade…"

A gloved hand took it and quickly stored it in their inner pocket, in their jacket.

"That's your revolver…"

The new mercenary checked that it was unloaded and stored it in their jacket too. 

"That's your invisibility watch. You know how it works?"

Spy took it and nodded, wrapping it around his wrist and closing it there.

"And that's your disguise kit and cigarette case."

They raised an eyebrow as they opened the rectangular metallic case.

"Oh, you don't smoke? Well, the previous agent we had did, and the enemy Spy smokes too, quite heavily. That's fine, you can keep the cigarette case part empty, we don't mind."

Miss Pauling gave a gentle smile and the mercenary put the disguise kit away.

"So, as the Administrator said, you'll join the BLU team and your job is to use whatever Mann Co. weapons provide to kill the RED team. Now, don't worry about anything, you're not really gonna kill anyone _really_ , we have a way to make people, uhm, how shall I say this…"

She adjusted her glasses on her nose and said, almost whispering for the taxi driver to not hear.

"... Well, we sort of make them come back to life, hehe…"

The BLU Spy opened wide eyes and Miss Pauling bent on her side to add.

"Yeah, don't ask me too much about it…"

She spoke loudly again.

"But anyway, that's nothing to be concerned about, the main point is, you're not gonna really die and that's fantastic! Now, this _respawn_ system, that's how we call it, works during training and during normal working hours and on the premises of the battlefield as well as both bases. You got me?"

Spy nodded. 

"Good. Regarding your teammates, you'll join a team of eight other mercenaries and fight against a team of nine. Each of you have their own role to play. What I mean by that is that you're the _only_ spy on your team, ok?"

Spy nodded again. 

"Right…"

Miss Pauling looked through the window. 

"Oh, look, that's the BLU base, we're nearly there!"

The BLU Spy bent to get slightly closer to the window and squinted to see better. A tiny grey square stood in the landscape, a lonely block of concrete is the ocean of white snow.

"Your teammates know that you're arriving now so I'm sure they'll welcome you warmly."

Spy politely nodded in thanks but their eyes snapped wide.

"Uhm…?"

"What?"

The mercenary in the clean cut blue suit pointed at their face. 

"Oh God, I nearly forgot!"

Miss Pauling put her bag on her lap and got one last item. 

"Here you go, your mask!"

The secret agent put it on in one go and with their thin fingers, they pushed the front locks of hair that stuck out underneath the dark blue fabric. 

"Good thinking, Spy!"

The young lady in the purple dress lowered her head and whispered more to herself than to the mercenary.

"Shame to hide your face but uh…"

A black lock of her hair fell in front of her big black glasses. She brushed it away and raised her head again.

"Yes, don't let anyone see your face for uh… _obvious reasons._ "

The masked agent gave a short nod. They perfectly understood why their face could raise questions and more than that, it could disturb their colleagues.

"Right, there we are."

The taxi driver announced as he braked in front of what seemed to be the only human construction for miles around.

Miss Pauling opened the door and exited the car, followed by the new BLU Spy. Once he set foot on the ground and exited the car, he elegantly flipped a hat on his head. The sun was shining but it wasn't heating anything much. Spy adjusted the thick white and blue scarf around his neck.

The taxi driver opened the boot and gave Spy their suitcase. 

"Thanks."

"Hey! Miss Paulin'!"

Scout was at the front door. 

"What an unexpected surprise!"

"Scout, you all did receive a message to tell you the new Spy was coming today…"

Miss Pauling led the way inside the base, pushing Scout away. 

"Spy, that was Scout at the door."

"Mh."

"Hey, Miss Pauling!"

As Spy and the lady in the purple dress entered the living room, a short man in a yellow construction hat came forward and extended his hand. Miss Pauling shook it and the hand then moved in front of the new Spy. There was a moment of hesitation but he raised his dark eyes to the short man and with a polite smile, shook his hand.

"Welcome here, pardner, I'm the Engineer, you can call me Engie."

"Aye, laddie, I'm Demo."

The black Scotsman extended his hand. Spy shook it.

"Hello, private, I'm Soldier, a _real_ soldier who's seen wars like you never did before!"

Spy looked at Miss Pauling with question marks in his eyes. The young lady smiled sympathetically and shrugged. The masked agent shook Soldier's hand.

"Mmmph!"

Pyro came through the room and hugged the new Spy, who got taken aback. The hug was so powerful, the new mercenary nearly choked on his own saliva.

"Yes, that's Pyro. They're very pleased to meet ya, buddy!" Said Engie. 

The _individual_ behind the black gas mask laughed and his chuckles were muffled. They released their grip on the new member of the BLU team and he coughed to catch his breath, dusted his suit to clean it and adjusted his tie.

"Where's Sniper?" Miss Pauling asked. 

"Last I saw him he was in the kitchen, makin' some coffee-ah! There he is."

The tall man crossed the living room and sat on an armchair. He raised his eyes towards Miss Pauling and nodded. His eyes then went to his new colleague and they briefly exchanged a courteous nod. A man in a labcoat, with thin, round spectacles and a big man entered. 

"Hallo, Miss Pauling!"

"Ah, that's Medic and Heavy."

Hands were shaken between the mercenaries.

"Right, now that you've met everyone, I should show you your room and give you your key. Follow me!"

The masked agent followed the young lady to the corridor. They took a few steps downstairs and stopped in front of a door. There was a knife symbol on it. 

"You'll notice every room door has the logo of the mercenary it belongs to on it. Even Engie's garage has his symbol on it."

She put a hand in her pocket and took a bunch of keys out. She flicked them one by one until a round-headed silver one. She put it in the lock and twisted her wrist. The latch gave up and she pushed the door. 

"There we go, welcome to your room…!"

Both of them entered.

"Well, it's more like a _suite_. Your predecessor was very strict on having his own space… There's the small kitchen area, that door leads to your bedroom, and that one is for the bathroom."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. I'll leave you to unpack and get to know your surroundings, I gotta go, the Administrator doesn't like it when I'm late."

The young lady turned and headed for the door again.

"Miss Pauling?"

She stopped sharp and faced the mercenary in the blue suit again.

"Yes?"

"The key?"

"Ah, of course!"

She took her keys again and found one with a knife symbol on its round head. She pushed her falling glasses back to the top of her nose again and, sticking her tongue out, she slowly got that key out of the key-ring. Spy found it mildly scary. The young lady looked like any kind secretary with her round face and her pink cheeks but was carrying as many keys as a prison guard. The masked mercenary sighed silently. 

_Who am I to judge?_

They thought. She finally managed to get the key out and handed it to the masked mercenary. He nodded in thanks and she smiled as she left this time, for good. 

The new member of the BLU team locked the door behind her, and squinted at the edge of the door. 

_Mmh… I should add a few locks, this one is very easily picked._

He made a note to himself in his head and took his suitcase to his bedroom. Without any kind of surprise, the walls of the whole suite were blue, the bedroom was no exception. With a soft, muffled thud, the suitcase was put on the bed and with two clicks, it opened. The new mercenary took the few items of clothing and belongings they had brought. He opened the wardrobe and got surprised by the collection of blue suits awaiting there already. 

The clothes got organised and stored away, along with the very few personal knick-knacks. A couple of bars of chocolate, of a Swiss-French brand, and two silver rings. He stared at them for a long time. One of them he got when he turned 18, the other, when he turned 20. He was now 35 and held on to them as if his life depended on it. Quickly, he removed his gloves, wore them on and put his gloves again. 

Shivers. It was cold in the suite and touching the radiators one after the other, the masked mercenary realised that all of them were cold. He went to try and switch on the light but the lightbulbs never lit up. 

_Guess I have to find Engineer…_

Spy exited the suite, making sure to lock it and headed for the living room. His head shyly peeked through the door. Soldier and Demo were watching the TV and arguing loudly over something that happened in the show they were following. Sniper looked visibly annoyed by all that racket, he gritted his teeth and stood up, taking his coffee mug with him. He headed for the door. Spy quickly cloaked as the tall man walked past him, not realising his new colleague was there. Sniper crossed the thin corridor and went to the kitchen. 

Scout happened to come out of his room and went to the kitchen. 

"Oh hey Snipes!"

The taller man rolled his eyes up and sighed. Spy could read Sniper's thought as clearly as if he was reading a book. 

_I flee Demo and Soldier and end up with Scout… What have I done to deserve this…?_

"Wanna do somethin'? I'm bored…"

Scout opened the fridge and took one of those fuzzy drinks that American companies manage to sell as a way to get nutrition. At the mere sight of the brightly coloured can, Spy grimaced and stuck his tongue out, still cloaked.

"Nah." Sniper simply answered. 

"Oh c'mon man, let's do somethin' together!"

"Scout…"

"I do have a Monopoly or somethin' in my room, you up for that?"

Spy could see Sniper's despair in the way that the man closed his eyes, frowned and took the deepest breath he could. The masked mercenary decloaked and entered the room. 

"Gentlemen."

Scout and Sniper turned to face him.

"Oh, maybe you wanna join too, Spy?"

The mercenary in the suit had taken a cup and went next to Sniper's side, in front of the cafetiere. 

"Is it decaf'?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks."

Spy poured the coffee slowly. Scout had been left hanging and for a second, he thought Spy hadn't heard him. 

"So whaddya say Sp-oh, alright, alright, ok…!"

The masked merc had shot such a murderous gaze at Scout, the young man got frightened and exited the kitchen. Sniper and Spy could hear the young Bostonian mutter under his breath as he passed the kitchen door.

"Jeez, are all the Spies in the world _that_ cold…? It's like you guys ain't even human."

Spy smiled to himself. 

"Thanks, mate."

"You're welcome."

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading :)

Alright Cheesepie, here it is! Chapter one of my new story, as promised!

I would be grateful if people would let me know whether they want more of this story or if I shall keep it to myself. It will be quite a more personal one and very different from what I'm used to writing.

Thanks again and _damn you Cheesepie! ;)_

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

Spy and Sniper were sipping their coffee, sitting around the kitchen table.

"Oh…"

Sniper put a hand on his face after Soldier and Demo shouted loudly from the living room.

"D'you mind if I shut the door?"

"Be my guest." Spy answered.

The tall man went to the kitchen door, muttered some kind of insult under his breath and closed the door. 

"I swear… It's like they're deaf and can't hear themselves."

Spy nodded. 

"You're right, Sniper. I don't know how they can bear themselves. I can't stand the noise."

The marksman raised an eyebrow. 

"Wait… You're British?"

" _Whot?"_

"Yer accent, you're British!"

"Hahahaha!"

The masked merc burst into laughter. 

"Don't let the accent fool you, Sniper, I'm French."

"Really?"

"Oui."

"You don't sound _loike_ it."

Spy smiled. 

"However, mon ami, _you_ sound very Australian."

Sniper smiled and raised his coffee mug.

"Guilty as charged! But, really Spook, you're French?"

"Spook? Do I look _spooky?"_

"Hahaa, yeah, nah, sorry mate. That's how I used to call the previous Spy. I can find another nickname if you don't like that one?"

Spy raised a hand and lowered his head. 

"No, please, don't bother. I'm fine with _Spook_. Will everyone call me that?"

"Nah, it's just me. I used to be good friends with the previous Spy."

"Ah, sorry to hear that. You must miss him."

"A bit, yeah. But you seem nice."

"I don't intend nor pretend I can replace anyone."

Sniper took another sip of his coffee. 

"And I'm sure you won't. For a start, you sound and look much younger. And then, you sound like a proper British bloke, with a very posh accent at that. Spy - I mean the previous one - had a very thick French accent compared to ya."

"Thank you, I take it as a compliment. I've lived in England for a few years. That's where I got the accent from. And indeed, I was surrounded by awfully posh people. But I didn't come for a cup of coffee, nor to annoy you…"

Spy stood up and put the coffee mug in the sink. 

"I'm looking for the Engineer. Would you be so kind as to tell me where I can find him?"

Sniper stood up too and put his mug next to Spy's.

"Yeah sure, he must be in his garage."

"Where is it?"

"Down the stairs, after yer room, continue down and you'll find a corridor. The second door on the left. You'll find it easily, it's got a wrench symbol on the door and you can hear machine noises from outside."

"Ah, thank you."

Spy nodded politely and left the kitchen. The loud shouts woke up again from the living room but he ignored them and followed Sniper's instructions. After going down the stairs and counting the doors in the corridor, the wrench symbol laid before his eyes. He gave a knock. 

"Yeah, come in!"

As Spy pushed the door, the short Texan turned and wiped his hands in an old rag. 

"Oh hey, Spah, how can I help ya?"

"Ahem, my apologies to bother you in your…"

Spy's eyes quickly scanned the room.

"... _work._ "

"It's fine. I wasn't doin' anythin' important."

"Ah, good. Uhm, I was wondering whether it was possible to turn on the electricity in my suite at all? It is quite cold and I don't have any lights either."

"Ah, yeah, sure! I'm sorry, buddy, I completely forgot to turn everythin' back on before you arrive."

Engie threw his rag on his shoulder and exited his garage, followed by Spy.

"Follow me, Spah."

"If you just tell me where the panel is, I can turn things on."

The worker turned to face his colleague. He raised an eyebrow. 

"You sure?"

"Of course."

"Alrighty then. Let's go…!"

Engie led the way a couple of doors away from his garage's and opened a door. A big panel stood there, grey and slightly dusty. It was filled with fuses and flashing lights. 

"So, Spah, which one's yours?"

The masked mercenary bent forward and frowned, his eyes scanning the panel from left to right, from the top down, methodically. 

"Hm…"

Engie smirked. He thought that Spy had called a bluff on his abilities in electronics and was proved right. He crossed his arms on his chest proudly.

"This one is the main one for my suite…"

Spy flipped a switch. 

"This one is for the heating…"

Another switch got flipped.

"And that big one there is the gas for the heating…!"

Elegantly, Spy turned a big circular switch by half a turn. There was a loud click and the sound of a valve opening. 

"There…"

The Spy dusted his gloved hands off and smiled at Engie. 

"You can close the door, Engineer. And many thanks for accompanying me."

The Texan worker's jaw had dropped. His colleague didn't lie. They clearly knew a bit about electronics and electrical systems. Spy headed back to his room.

"Oh, uh, wait Spah!"

"Yes?"

"There'll be dinner in about half an hour, you'll join us right?"

"Oh, uh, fine, I will. Merci."

[Thanks.]

_\-- Dinner, half an hour later --_

"Hey guys, so what's for dinner?"

Scout barged in the kitchen almost late. 

"Sit down, Scout. Given the cold, Heavy and I made some soup." 

Medic put the large cooking pot on the table. All the mercenaries were sitting around the table. All of them, apart from Sniper.

"Ugh, soup…"

"Don't complain, Scoot, soup's good fer yer bones, laddie!"

Demo said as he offered his plate for Medic to serve him. Spy was keenly observing all of his colleague. Observing is the first way to learn, he had been told during training. 

"Beh… I hate winter… I mean the snow's great but I can't do any runnin' and I feel… ugh! I don't even know what the word is!"

"Restricted maybe?"

All the eyes moved to Spy. 

"My apologies for the intrusion."

"Oh, fancypants, I'll ask ya when I need ya!"

Sniper peeked his head through the kitchen. Spy raised an eyebrow as all the mercs were now well into their soup.

" _Fancypants?_ That's an interesting nickname. Sniper's sound better. His silence too, you should take example, young man."

Spy's eyes shot to the door and Sniper saw the Frenchie's dark eyes pierce through him. 

"Y-young man?! I bet I'm younger than you!"

"Indeed you are.."

"How d'you know eh?"

Spy raised an eyebrow and smirked. 

"Scout, Spy is spy. He knows." The big Heavy said, with a thick Russian accent.

Everyone came back to their soup as the sound of heeled boots resounded on the floor. Spy didn't need to look up to know who it was. 

"Ah, hey, Sniper. Want some soup with us?" Engie asked.

The marksman nodded and sat opposite Spy. All the mercs finished their soup and got some dessert. Yogurt for some, some cake for those with a sweet tooth. After that, all went back to their respective rooms.

_\-- Spy's room --_

_J'aurai vraiment besoin de ces verrous supplémentaires. Je demanderai à l'Ingénieur demain._

_[I really need those additional locks. I will ask Engineer tomorrow.]_

The Frenchie undid his tie and removed his gloves, throwing them on the sofa in front of the fire. Spy headed straight to the bathroom and stared at his reflection for a long minute, his breath resonating loudly in his ears. 

His eyes went left and right. No windows, apart from thin ones in his living room that he could see from where he was standing, but his suite being half underground, if anyone wanted to peek through, they'd have to at least kneel down and bend completely. No one would do that and put their legs up to their thighs in the snow. 

Spy removed his mask swiftly and stared. 

Her short, curly black locks fell on her forehead as she blinked repeatedly, her long black eyelashes gently shooing the air in front of her big dark eyes. Her skin was dark, not black, but _café au lait._ As they say in French, _coffee with milk._ She was of a mix of Arabic and Indian complexion, quite tall and too thin according to her mother. 

Bah. 

She unbuttoned her shirt and started the hot water in the shower. She removed her shoes and put them behind the bathroom door before closing it and taking a hot shower. While doing so, she thought for a very long time, water dripping from the curls of ebony black hair to her face. 

_Peut-être ai-je été un peu trop dure avec Scout…_

[ _I might have been been too harsh with Scout…]_

As she finished showering, she grabbed her dressing gown and headed to the living room with her Burgundy nail varnish and a bit of cotton. She opened the nail varnish and its smell slowly diffused in the room. The slow heat diffusing from the fireplace kept her warm and provided enough light for her to paint her nails on her hands and feet. She much preferred the flames over the artificial light. So there she was, sitting on the carpet, only lit by the flames dancing in the fire that was drying her hair slowly. 

The clock struck 10 in the evening. Time to prepare the next day. She put the nail varnish away and headed to her bedroom. She took a look at everything. Blade? Watch? Disguise kit? Everything was neatly put on her night table. Her clothes? She didn't have much choice and Mann Co. provided the suits she had to wear. 

She liked suits. Quite masculine, they suited her silhouette. Now that she thought about it, thank God her voice wasn't too feminine either. Not one of her colleagues had got that she was a woman.

_\-- Next morning --_

She woke up early. Maybe too early? Bah, Spy much preferred having it that way. She hated being in a hurry in the morning. She got dressed and didn't forget her weapons. Spy put a hand on her face and let it sink down. 

_Ugh…_

Waking up was hard. However, she felt quite impatient for her first day on the battlefield. She grabbed her mask and went to the bathroom. 

_Oof…_

Her hair was very short on the sides so that never an issue. But on the top of her head, the locks had gone wild during the night. She wetted them and with a comb, arranged her hair so that she could wear the balaclava. 

_Voilà, parfait._

_[There, perfect.]_

She took her bottle of perfume but stopped before spraying it. Her eyes snapped wide. 

_Merde, il me faut le parfum pour homme._

_[Shit, I need the male perfume.]_

She took her female one and put it away in her room. The Administrator had been very clear. 

_"We need a Spy and none of the males we interviewed match our expectations… Your hair is short and your voice quite low. Do not let any of them know you're a woman."_

While she remembered that conversation _\- or rather, that order from the old lady -_ Spy had gone back to the bathroom and looked through her things.

_Ah, j'en avais pourtant prévu un… Ah! Le voilà!_

_[Ah, I'm sure I did take one with me… Ah! There it is!]_

She took the bottle of male perfume and sprayed it on herself. She quite liked the smell, it was the same brand as her female one, only it was the male version. Spy put the bottle away and headed for her small kitchen space. 

She stopped sharp, half-way through the living-room and she was putting on her gloves.

_Merde, je n'ai encore rien acheté pour ma cuisine. Il va me falloir aller avec les autres._

_[Shit, I haven't yet boight anything for my own kitchen. I will have to go with the others.]_

Spy sighed. She shrugged, had a last look at her face before exiting her room.

She walked up the stairs silently and when she arrived in the kitchen, she saw Sniper enjoying a mug of coffee, his eyes looking through the window. She mentally made a note to become a man again.

"Bonjour, Sniper."

The Australian got startled.

"My apologies, I didn't mean to scare you or interrupt anything."

"Bloody hell, Spook, you scared me."

"I do apologise." Said Spy, a gloved hand on his chest.

"It's fine, I just didn't hear you come in."

"I know."

Sniper raised a curious eyebrow and watched as his colleague prepared a mug of coffee for himself _._

"You put sugar in your coffee…? And milk?!"

"I don't have much of a sweet tooth except when it comes to hot beverages and chocolate."

"Well then ya do have a sweet tooth…"

Sniper turned his back to his colleague to look through the window again and didn't see Spy's smile.

"I guess I do then." 

Spy stood next to him, looking through the window too. The sky was still dark but one could guess that the first rays of light were diluting the darkness into a fairer shade of blue.

_Il aime regarder le soleil se lever._

_[He likes to watch the sun rise.]_

Spy slowly turned his head and looked at Sniper's eyes. They were hidden behind a pair of yellow-tinted aviator glasses. Sniper's eyes looked tired despite their lagoon blue color. They had crows feet on the corners that were making him look older than what he really was. Spy knew they were the same age. The tall man blinked and his eyes moved from the sky to lower down. He took another sip of his coffee and sighed. Spy looked to see what his colleagues' eyes were locked on. 

_Ah, son camping car._

_[Ah, his van.]_

Sniper adjusted the position of his glasses on his nose quickly, like a reflex. Spy noticed that even if he did touch the pair of spectacles, they hadn't moved on his nose. Ah, but then that made sense. Spy put two and two together and thought that judging by the long sigh staring at the van and the reflex to touch his glasses, Sniper was certainly feeling sad. 

But why? 

Spy frowned and looked at the van. It was stuck in the snow as it was piling up to her knees. Then, no doubt Sniper was regretting warmer times when he could actually move around with his van. Spy looked up at Sniper as he gulped another sip of his coffee. He shivered and crossed his arms on his chest, hunching his back slightly.

Non. It didn't add up. Something was off… Spy frowned harder and his eyes went to the van again and then around it. The roads were cleared off the snow. So if Sniper wanted to drive around, he needed to get the snow between the van and the road away. That wouldn't be too hard a job, the van wasn't parked that far from the road.

_Non, non, non. Il me manque quelque chose._

_[No, no, no. I am missing something.]_

Spy took a sip of his coffee that cleared the fog in his stomach before clearing the one up in his head. 

_Oh!_

Wait! Sniper shivered. The man _shivered_ despite being more heavily clothed than anyone Spy had seen yet and drinking hot coffee. That was the missing piece! He didn't shiver because of the cold. He shivered and crossed his arms not to give himself _physical_ warmth, but warmth in the heart! Sniper was thinking about his home in Australia, where the weather is much warmer and living in a van made for a much more comfortable life.

Spy smiled to himself as he finished his coffee. He headed to the sink and put his cup in.

"I'm sorry you're not going home for Christmas, Sniper."

As Spy finished his sentence and exited the kitchen, he could only hear the Australian choking on the remainder of his coffee.

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading and let me know what you thought of this one! :) 

See y'all around!


	3. Chapter 3

Spy took a deep breath. It was his first day of work. Time to see if his training would pay. He knew he was young and not very experienced but he knew that what he lacked there he could compensate in other ways. That was his bet, and the one he managed to push the Admin to make too.

_ "Mission begins in 30 seconds." _

Spy was looking through the metallic gates. There was the cart and the rails curved to the left and then right. Hm. Noted.

"Hey, pardner?"

Spy's eyes snapped wide as his train of thoughts broke. He spun on his heels and realised Engie was talking to him.

"Yes?"

"Here, your earpiece. It allows us to talk to each other."

Engineer was handing his newest colleague a small object. 

"Ah, many thanks. That will prove very useful."

Engie nodded as the Admin's voice resounded on the loud speakers.

" _ 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Begin!" _

Spy cloaked and stayed in spawn for a while. The gates flashed open and his colleagues started rushing out. Truly, Spy got impressed. His colleagues seem to show quite a high level of mastery of their weapons. Soldier's rocket jumps and Demo's skill at cutting people's heads off with a swing of his medieval-looking axe stunned him. 

Spy closed his own jaw and took a deep breath. Time to see what he could do. He exited the spawn and found somewhere where he could cloak in peace. He found a small room.

_ Du soin et des munitions ici, très bien. _

_ [Health and ammunition here, very well.] _

He took his disguise kit out and chose to go as the enemy Pyro. Still cloaked, he went around the cart and that's where he saw something shine in his eye. He stopped and tried to understand what was blinding him. 

_ Ha! Le viseur du Sniper ennemi! _

_ [Ha! That's the scope of the enemy Sniper!] _

Spy carefully proceeded until he found himself behind the RED Sniper's back. He slowly took his blade out of his inner pocket and swiftly backstabbed the marksman. The body of the RED Sniper fell limply on the floor but the man shouted loudly as he died. All the RED team turned their eyes back and started shouting. 

"SPY!"

The BLU masked agent cloaked again and tried to escape. On his way back, he saw the RED Pyro spreading flames frantically at everyone. 

_ Merde. _

_ [Shit.] _

Spy could feel the sweat beading on his temple despite the crisp, freezing cold. He had to be careful or… 

He smirked. 

_ Ou je peux me débarrasser du Pyro… _

_ [Or I could get rid of the enemy Pyro…] _

But how? Ideally, getting Pyro to be as far away as possible from the rest of his colleagues would be perfect. That way, Spy had a bit of time to escape undetected. Then the problem becomes: how the hell could one bait Pyro to run far from his colleagues? Spy thought about disguising as the mute pyromaniac but he would surely shout before chasing him.

_ Hm… _

No obvious way to do this. Then it shall be done the  _ cocky _ way. Spy disguised as the enemy Medic and ran to Pyro, from behind. He prayed heavily for the flame enthusiast not to look behind him. But Spy timed his run to Pyro well and managed to plant his blade in his back. 

Spy smiled proudly as he cloaked and made for an escape. Unfortunately, that proved to be the end of his killing spree as the RED Soldier and Demo teamed up against him and with a rocket and a grenade, the Frenchie's body blew up like fireworks on the 14th of July in France.

_ Click. _

Spy respawned. He opened wide eyes and blinked repeatedly, staring at his hands. 

" _ Mon Dieu…" _

[My God….]

He whispered more to himself than to anyone else. 

"Yeah, that's how respawn works, mate. Now let's go."

Sniper had respawned a split second after Spy. The Frenchie nodded and they both left to help their colleagues on the battlefield.

Spy tested another of his weapons and found that it worked like a charm upon him being found out: his revolver. He slowly understood that indeed, if all else failed, the good old strategy of  _ runnin' and gunnin' _ proved quite efficient. It was all the more deadly that Spy's aim was quite good.

The battle ended with the BLU almost winning. The cart was pushed all the way to the last point but the RED team managed to defend very efficiently the hatch with a level 3 sentry. 

_ \-- Later that day, BLU base -- _

Spy headed to the kitchen to get something to eat after dinner. But before he could enter, he heard loud voices inside. 

"No, Snipes, it's cause of him we lost! It's his job to sap the fuckin' sentry!"

"Give him a break Scout! It's his first day, his  _ first bloody  _ day!"

"Yeah well I hope dat tomorrow he's gonna realise that the metal piece of crap he calls a sapper actually  _ works!" _

"Shut up! He tried his best, he got loads of backstabs and kills with his gun, I'd say it's a bloody well done job!"

Spy slightly opened the door and peeked through. He saw Scout crossing his arms and frowning. Sniper was next to him, washing the dishes. Scout sighed.

"Pfff, the previous Spy would have sapped it when it was first bein' built…"

"The previous Spy is gone, ya bloody piker and yer complainin' doesn't help! You wanna improve things? Go and tell'im how to use a sapper but don't complain if ya come back with a knife in yer back and a bullet between yer eyes!"

"Pffff… He would manage to put the bullet between my eyes I'm sure…"

Sniper dropped the plate he had in his hands in the sink and took Scout by his collar. He gritted his teeth as he said, his voice as calm as his eyes were flashing angrily:

"I've seen him shoot them and he's got a better aim than all of you. Now either you leave him and me alone, or  _ I'm _ the next one who's gonna put a blade in yer back and a bullet between yer eyes."

Sniper dropped his teammate's collar and resumed his washing up. The young man exited the kitchen, the rage still fuming in him. As Scout flung the the kitchen door open, Spy cloaked and watched as the American boy headed straight to his room.

"Merci, Sniper."

Spy entered the kitchen and closed the door after him. Sniper looked at his colleague.

"Oh, you heard us?"

Spy nodded. 

"Ah, sorry mate… Don't take it badly from Scout. He's a bit young and very impatient."

"The young part I cannot forgive for when his age, I wasn't like that and I'm sure you weren't either.. As for the impatience…"

Spy raised his shoulders. 

"Everyone has their character…"

Without asking or anything, Sniper found himself handing the wet and clean dishes to Spy who was wiping them before putting them in the cupboards.

"Yeah…"

Silence fell for a moment. Both mercenaries washed the dishes for the whole team. 

"I'll help ya with the dishes tomorrow."

Spy smiled. 

"If you wish so. But please don't feel compelled to."

"Nah, nah." 

Spy put the towel he was using away.

"Spook?"

"Hm?"

"How did you know?"

The Frenchie looked at his colleague. 

"How did I know what?"

"That I wouldn't go back home fer Christmas this year."

Spy smiled. 

"I looked at you."

Sniper raised an eyebrow.

"Whot?! You looked at me and that was it?"

Spy nodded. 

"When you look at something, there is always so much more to see than what you remember… Take you for instance, this morning?"

"Yeah."

"You were staring at your van sadly. You touched your glasses for no reason and you even  _ cuddled yourself. _ "

"Whot?! I didn't touch my glasses fer no reason, I was pushin' them back up me nose!"

"Non Sniper. You touched them but their position on your nose didn't change."

"Maybe but I didn't cuddle meself!"

"Yes you did. You crossed your arms on your chest and you weren't cold or angry. You were sad and giving yourself comfort as you stared at your van and the snow around it."

As Spy unrolled his explanation, Sniper's eyes slowly sank to the ground and he blushed. 

"You're missing your family, Sniper, and that's fair."

The Australian took his hat that was on the counter and left without adding a word, leaving Spy alone in the kitchen. The French secret agent looked through the window and saw his colleague cross the strip of snow that separated the base from his van. 

_ Merde. Décidément, j'ai du mal à me faire des amis. _

_ [Shit. Turns out I really can't make friends.] _

_ \-- Spy's suite -- _

Spy was in her bed, a radio turned on with the lowest volume just to fill the silence and make her feel less lonely. She was wearing her dressing gown on top of her pyjamas and was staring at the wall in front of her, deep in thoughts.

_ Pfff….  _

She put a hand under her bed and grabbed the notepad that she had stored there. She flicked the pages quickly until there was a blank one. She then opened the drawer to the night table next to her and got a pencil-case out. She starting sketching to pass the time as her thoughts rolled in her head.

_ Hm… Je n'ai rien contre Scout. Il est bavard et fait beaucoup de bruit et beurk… Tout ce que je n'aime pas chez un homme. Mais je n'ai rien contre lui. _

_ [Hm… I don't have anything against Scout. The boy is chatty, loud and ugh… Everything I could possibly dislike in a man. But I don't have anything against him.] _

She scribbled over the few lines she had drawn and turned the page.

_ Et Sniper? Ça c'est un homme, un vrai. _

_ [And Sniper? That's a man and a half.] _

She smiled without realising it, the sound of the pencil's lead lightly scratching the paper.

_ Mais je l'ai blessé. Il n'a pas l'air d'aimer parler de sa famille et je suis rentré dans sa vie privée comme un éléphant dans une boutique de porcelaine, comme on dit. _

_ [But I've hurt him. He doesn't seem to like talking about his family and I intruded into his private life like an elephant in a porcelain shop, as we say in French.] _

She added a couple of lines here and there. 

_ Je devrais aller lui présenter mes excuses demain. _

_ [I should go and apologise tomorrow.] _

The clock struck 10 in the evening. 

_ Bien. Il temps de dormir. Demain est un autre jour. _

_ [Fine. Time to sleep. Tomorrow is another day.] _

She put the pencil-case as well as the small notebook under her bed before switching off the radio and falling asleep. 

_ \-- Next day -- _

_ Ah ce réveil, franchement…! _

_ [That bloody alarm, I swear…!] _

Spy got up and got dressed. She went to the bathroom, wetted her hair and put the balaclava on before patting her jacket and pockets, checking that she had everything she will need.

_ Bien. _

[Well.]

She put on her shoes as she thought:

_ Il me faut aller dans la cuisine encore. J'essaierai d'aller faire des courses ce weekend. _

_ [I need to go to the kitchen again. I'll try and go buy groceries over the weekend.] _

Her train of thoughts broke as she realised something.

_ Merde, Sniper doit y être. _

_ [Shit, Sniper must be there.] _

She knew it would be awkward to face him but she didn't mind much. The sooner she confronted him, the better. She shut her door and locked it before heading to the kitchen. This time, she made sure her colleague would hear her coming. 

_ C'est l'heure d'être un homme. _

_ [Time to be a man.] _

Spy headed to the cafetiere and help himself to some coffee. He added the milk and the sugar before mixing it all and watch as the pitch dark drink turned to the color of his skin. He took the cup and stood next to Sniper again, as he had done the day before and stared at the landscape.

"I apologise, Sniper."

Spy felt the tall man's eyes dart down to him and then back to the window.

"I realise I've intruded in your private matters in a most impolite way."

"You're…"

Spy felt hot yet a drop of cold sweat dripped down his spine. 

"Bloody clever, I'll give ya that."

The Australian sipped his coffee.

"Thank you."

Silence fell before Spy broke it again. 

"Can I ask you something Sniper?"

"You just did, mate."

Spy took it as a  _ no. _

"C'mon, spit it out."

"Oh, sorry, uhm, did you really think what you said yesterday to Scout?"

"About what?"

"My aim, mainly."

Spy looked up at Sniper. He swore he saw the corner of his lip purse up into a faint smile.

"Yeah. Yer aim is better than the previous Spook's and the enemy's too."

Spy's eyes widened as he smiled proudly.

"But ya twist yer elbow to absorb the recoil and that's wrong."

Spy's smile disappeared and he raised an eyebrow. 

"Hey, look, my way of holding the revolver is efficient and gets the job done."

"Yeah but what if you held yer gun right? The few shots you miss wouldn't exist anymore."

Spy rolled up his eyes. A question was burning his lips but he didn't dare ask his colleague. He gulped his coffee down hard and tried to shoo away what he wanted to say. 

"Spook?"

"Oui?"

"Ask me."

Spy's eyes darted up to his colleague's. This time he was sure of it, Sniper was smiling behind his yellow glasses. The masked agent was taken aback. 

"Well, uhm, if you don't mind, would you be so kind as to teach me how to improve my aim?"

Sniper's smile widened.

"What would there be in it for me?" The Australian asked.

"I'm not sure I can say what I think without hurting you, Sniper." 

The Marksman raised an eyebrow and looked down at his colleague.

"Say it."

Spy sighed. 

"Non. I've hurt you yesterday and I've come today to apologise. I didn't do all this to hurt you again today."

"What is there in it for me, Spook? Look, if ya don't answer, I'm not gonna teach ya anythin'."

Spy sighed again and put his mug down. 

"Fine, you've asked for it…"

The Frenchie raised his eyes to meet his colleague's. 

"What you'll find is maybe the friend that you've been lacking for what seems to be a long while."

Sniper's eyebrows jumped and he blushed. Spy spun on his heels and took a step forward but quickly, the Australian's hand firmly grabbed the Frenchie's shoulder and pulled him back. 

"You really need to know how to talk more tactfully to people, Spook."

"And you really need to know when not to push people, Headshot Man."

Spy moved his shoulder to free himself from his colleague's grasp and exited the kitchen. He headed to Engie's garage and gave a sharp knock at the door.

"Oh hey, what's up pardner?"

"Would you have a couple of locks by any chance? I mean door locks."

Engie raised a curious eyebrow. 

"Uh.. I might have a couple ones lyin' around…"

The short Texan rummaged through his tools.

"Ah, there go, I have about… Five? How many d'you need?"

"Two or three."

Engie handed three locks to his colleague. 

"Many thanks. May I borrow the tools I need to put them on my door? I won't be too long."

"Sure, go ahead."

_ \-- Later in the evening, Spy's room -- _

The French woman was lying in her bed, sketching while thinking. She found her last encounter with Sniper confusing. What the hell did all that mean? Would he help her or not? Was he being friendly? Did he really mean it when he defended her in front of Scout?

Her pencil scratched the paper more aggressively. 

_ Merde. _

_ [Shit.] _

She slapped the notebook shut and lied on the bed, her eyebrows still frowning with the frustration.

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading! 

Always glad to have your impressions :)

Cheesepie, here is chapter 3 and 4 cause you deserve it :)

  
  
  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

Another day, another battle session.

Spy adjusted his scarf around his neck and sighed. The whole BLU team was at spawn, taking their gear and readying up. The French mercenary tapped his pockets. Everything was there and in place. 

His mind rolled back to a about an hour earlier, when he was in the kitchen, having breakfast. Sniper was there too but didn't utter a single word. He didn't even flinch when Spy said hello. The Australian had stayed in front of the window, his eyes riveted on the distance. Spy had sighed silently and sadly. Did it really have to be that way?

_ "5… 4… 3… 2… 1… BEGIN!" _

The Admin's  _ sweet _ voice broke the Frenchie's train of thoughts and he exited the spawn, fully cloaked.

The first few backstabs were easily to pull off. Spy had understood the fine art of making people believe he was someone else. After all,  _ he _ was really a  _ she. _

"Spy! There's a sentry at the front!"

"I'll take care of it." 

He coldly answered and ran to the front, fully cloaked. 

_ Merde. _

Spy stopped sharp. The RED Pyro was standing next to the sentry, blowing flames left and right.

"Can someone help me with the Pyro? I can't take the sentry down if he's standing there."

_ BOOM. _

Spy's eyes opened wide as he saw the RED Pyro collapsed, putting his hands on his face.

"You only had to ask, Spook."

"My appreciation." Said the Frenchie. And in his head he thought  _ "My appreciation, Snoop.".  _ A smile came to his lips but he didn't dwell on it for long. Spy disguised as the RED Pyro and headed for the nest and backstabbed the Engineer. He then swiftly slapped his sapper on the sentry and one on the dispenser. 

"Sentry and dispenser are sapped, RED Engineer is down!"

Upon hearing those words more of the RED team poured in but the BLU Medic had an übercharge and popped it on the Heavy. He flashed the über on the Solly as he rocket jumped. He landed on the RED Engie's buildings and destroyed them easily. The nest got wiped along with most of the RED team. 

"Finally! See what happens when ya use your sapper!", Scout said.

"Well, some praise should go to Sniper. Had he not taken down that Pyro, I wouldn't have managed to do anything."

Spy answered and waited to hear back from his colleague. Nothing. Not even a chuckle. The Frenchie raised a suspicious eyebrow. 

_ Quelque chose ne tourne pas rond. _

_ [Something is wrong.] _

Spy cloaked and ran back. He took the opportunity to stop by and take a health kit on his way. He looked right, left and upwards. No sign of any scope. The Frenchie nonetheless kept on running and entered a building. It was mostly wooden, his heels resonated against the hard and cold wood floor. 

_ Mais Snoop, où diable es-tu? _

_ [Snoop, where the hell are you?] _

The Frenchie went through a corridor when he suddenly bumped on something. 

"Ouch!"

He gasped and froze. A red silhouette appeared out of thin smoke. The RED Spy jumped at his enemy with his blade out. Without thinking about it, the Frenchie got his revolver out and shot. It took two bullets, one to the chest and the other to the skull before the RED Spy fell. His BLU counterpart put his revolver back in his inner pocket. He raised his head and saw Sniper's rifle on the floor, peeking from the next room.

"Sniper?!"

Spy barged in the room. His colleague's body was lying on the floor lifeless. 

"Et merde…"

[And fuck…]

That's when Spy put two and two together and understood that his counterpart had backstabbed his colleague. The French mercenary knelt down and looked at his colleague more closely. The poor Australian's eyes were still open, his lagoon blue eyes, the same that looked so calm and reserved now looked surprised. Spy brushed his gloved fingers over his dead colleague's eyelids to shut his eyes. 

That was the side of war and conflict that Spy wasn't yet ready to face, or he didn't know how to face it. He barely knew Sniper, they had hardly exchanged anything about each other. But the Australian had a family, parents who would miss him no doubt. 

With a click, the corpse disappeared off the ground. Thank God respawn was a thing. Spy remained there, still kneeling as if Sniper's corpse was still there. His thoughts continued rolling in his head, the sound of the distant fight, the blasts and gunshots had disappeared. 

Not for a single instant had it crossed the Frenchie's mind that the same could be said for the RED Spy. He had shot him dead and yet, Spy didn't feel any kind of remorse or guilt, not even an inch of polite sadness for the enemy's death. Neither for him, nor for any member of the RED team. Non. He was the one who had killed Sniper.

"Spook?"

The hoarse voice broke Spy's train of thoughts. 

"Huh?"

The masked man sprang to his feet and turned to face his colleague.

"You alroight?"

"Y-yes, I think so."

"Go back to the front. We need ya there."

"Yes."

Spy walked past Sniper and cloaked. He ran back to where he was needed most. When he arrived, he took a minute to have a look at the state of the battlefield. Who was still up? Where were his colleagues? His opponents? Ah, yes he located most of them. Good. Now, he needed to pick a target unless…

"Any sentries?"

"We don't know, Herr Spy. None that we can see. Scout do you know where their Engineer is?"

"Nah, might be at the back, I didn't see him."

"Fine. Thanks."

Spy went around most of the enemies and tried to backstab them. A few of them he did get, and he was proud of it. Very few things were more satisfying that backstabbing the enemy. The concept of the single fatal blow was exciting. But everything comes with a price, it was a high risk for a high reward strategy. Spy knew it and was extremely careful when wielding his blade. He knew that with each backstab, the enemy paranoia grew, making the next backstab harder to land. 

By that point the RED Pyro was blowing flames everywhere at everyone. Spy was cloaked and was hiding, immobile. He was waiting for the Pyro to be tired and go do something else. The Frenchie looked around. The RED were not looking at his corner. Good, he could disguise in peace. Now, where was that Phro again… Ah yes, there and still trying to set any and everything on fire. Bah, let's be patien- _ oof! _

Spy felt a sharp pain in his back and fell to the floor. 

_ Click. _

"Comment diable a-t-il su?!"

[How the hell did he know?!]

The Frenchie respawned, fuming with rage. How the hell did the enemy backstabber know his position when he was cloaked?!

His jaw clenched and teeth gritted hard, the Frenchie got out of spawn and resumed his work. He found the RED team much more vigilant, they were checking their backs much more often. It did discourage Spy for a while as he found himself killed again and again. 

Spy's vision tunnelled down. He didn't see the battlefield as a whole anymore. Non. He only saw himself and felt like a million eyes were spying on his every move. He  _ hated it. _ Even when he was cloaked, he felt unsafe. 

_ Putain de merde. _

_ [Fucking hell.] _

Despite it all, he managed to get a few backstabs, but only too few in his opinion. The idea of going with his revolver out, fully uncloaked, did cross his mind. But one of the reasons he was winning most of his gun fights was that he had the element of surprise on his side.

After an unhappy encounter with the enemy Soldier, Spy retreated and cloaked. He badly needed to heal. The French mercenary ran and found a healthpack in a corridor. 

_ Ah, parfait. _

_ [Ah, perfect.] _

He took it and decided to take a moment to catch his breath. He walked back towards the frontline when-

_ Ouch! _

Something bumped him again, on his right shoulder. Spy turned his head and watched as his counterpart uncloaked. The Frenchie was both unraged and thrilled to meet him again. He took his revolver out and pointed it at the enemy's face but something caught his attention and before he could understand what was happening, the enemy Spy spun on his heels elegantly and planted his knife just behind the Frenchie's back. 

_ Click. _

Spy respawned with his eyes still wide open. He was staring at the floor but was not seeing it. 

"Bloody spastic little hooligan…!"

Sniper respawned shortly after his colleague. He removed his hat, carded his hair quickly and put his hat back on again. He turned his head and realised Spy was standing there, frowning and his jaw clenched. 

"Spook?"

No answer. The Australian went in front of the masked mercenary. 

"Oi, Spook?"

"Huh?"

Spy blinked repeatedly as Sniper's voice tore him out of his daydream. 

"You look like you've seen a ghost. You alroight?"

"Ah, oui, I'm fine, sorry."

Spy headed out of the spawn room, closely followed by Sniper. The taller man went to a higher vantage place, one from which he could see most of the battlefield. Spy cloaked and continued heading towards the front. 

The battle was tough that day. Both teams were doing their best and none really was better than the other. Besides, the mercenaries knew that cooperation was key and they now were used to rely on each other. Some of them took longer than others to trust their colleagues but at this point, everyone had got over that. 

In the end, the Administrator called a stalemate.

_ \-- BLU Base, later that day -- _

"Want a bit more potatoes, Spy?"

The masked member of the BLU team was staring at his plate and eating on autopilot, his hand mechanically moving down to fill his fork and up to empty it.

"Spah…?" Engie repeated and Spy lightly shook his head, as if he was chasing the fog in his mind. 

"Oh, uh, sorry. Did you say something, Engineer?"

"Would you like more potatoes?"

"Ah, non merci." 

Engie nodded and gave Spy an honest smile. The rest of the dinner went smoothly. The mercenaries were having a good time, jokes and laughter echoing from one to the other. 

The kitchen door opened and Sniper entered. Spy followed him with his eyes but his mind was elsewhere. He watched as the Australian went to the fridge and made a sandwich. Without even realising it, Spy finished his meal and the table got cleared under his nose in what he felt was the blink of an eye. The mercenaries were still around the table, some helping with the clearing out of the kitchen, others finishing thei conversations.

"Spook?"

"Huh?"

"You want somethin'?"

"Non… Why do you ask?"

"You were starin' at me."

"Ah, sorry, I didn't mean to."

Sniper put the other piece of bread on top of his sandwich and headed out of the kitchen. 

"I'll come back to help you with the dishes."

Spy nodded in thanks and stood up off his chair. He needed some time alone so he headed straight back to his room. He'd come back when the kitchen was empty. 

When she entered, she locked all he three locks and threw her jacket away. Her mask followed and they both landed on the floor, next to the sofa. She headed to the bathroom as she released the knot on her tie, undoing it and throwing on the edge of the bath.

"Mon Dieu…"

[My God…]

She was in front of the sink, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She had seen that face before, she never forgets a face. Never. The RED Spy's face. She had seen it before, those icy-blue eyes, argh! But where was it?

Her eyes went down from the mirror to the glass on the corner of the sink, the toothbrush in it, on the opposite side of the sink, the bottle of male perfume, then back to the soap, then back again to the toothbrush. 

"Et putain de merde!" 

[Fucking hell!]

Spy removed her gloves and opened the sink. She splashed water on her face repeatedly. The cold of the water calmed her down and helped clear her mind. 

_ Bon, ça ne sert à rien de se casser la tête. En plus j'ai la vaisselle à faire. _

_ [Right, it's useless to bang my head up against the wall for this. Besides, I still need to wash the dishes. _ ]

She thought, as she wiped her face. Throwing the towel away, she grasped the gloves and went to get her mask from the living room floor. She wore them all and shut the door behind her, heading for the kitchen. 

"Oh, I'm sorry Sniper, you should have got me from my room."

As Spy entered, he saw his colleague starting to wash the dishes. The Frenchie went to replace him.

"It's fine. I reckoned you needed some time on your own."

Sniper took a step aside and let his French colleague do the washing as he got busy wiping the few pieces of cutlery he had washed.

"So, gonna tell me?"

"What?"

"Whot's botherin' you?"

Spy sighed. He looked over his shoulders. Sniper understood and went to shut the door. 

"Now you can talk."

Spy's eyes went to the dishes as he washed them mechanically.

"I don't want to bother you, Sniper."

"Eh, mate?"

Spy didn't answer. Sniper took the fork he was washing off his hand and as Spy's eyes followed it, he raised his eyes to meet his colleagues'. 

"Hey, you can talk to me."

"Thank you, but non, I can't."

"Why?"

Spy took the fork back and rinsed it. 

"Because I'm a spy."

"And?"

Sniper wiped it and put it on the kitchen counter. 

"And that means I know things and I'm supposed to keep my lips sealed. I can't confide in anyone, I can't talk about what I think."

"Of course you can! It's just that you don't want to."

"Sniper, you have signed a contract when you got this job, non?"

"Yeah, exactly like you, Spook."

"That's where you're mistaken. Our contracts are  _ very _ different."

"Spook."

"Hm?"

"Look at me."

Spy sighed and obeyed. Sniper stared for an instant. 

"Spook, you can trust me. I may be a bit… eh… Not so used to having friends or any kind of company, but that doesn't make me heartless."

Spy's eyes went to the door again, double-checking that it was indeed shut. 

"I used to be quite close to the previous Spy, he found no problems in talkin' to me about what he thought."

"Fine…"

Spy undid the first button of his shirt and took a deep breath. He washed the last few plates and Sniper rinsed them off and wiped them as he listened closely.

"It's the RED Spy."

"What about him?"

"I've seen him somewhere before. I-I can't say where or when exactly but I'm sure of it."

"Really?"

Spy nodded and he washed the sink quickly. 

"It's his eyes, and his cheekbones and-and something about the shape of his face."

"Well, you're both French so maybe it was back there?"

"Sniper, I know France is much smaller than Australia but believe me it's a big enough country for two people to never see each other."

"Roight… I'm just tryin' to think about places you both could have gone to…"

Spy smiled. 

"Thank you for helping me."

"No worries… Let's see… Where else could you have met him?" 

They finished washing the dishes. Spy took a step back and leant on the table while Sniper faced him, leaning his lower back on the kitchen top.

"Well, you're both spies so I guess somewhere that has to do with that?"

"Hm… Maybe…"

Spy crossed his arms on his chest. The night had fallen a long time ago and as he glanced through the window, he couldn't see a thing. 

"It would help if I knew what his face looked like without his mask."

"Ha well, I've never seen him without it."

Spy frowned. 

"What places do you usually go to when you're a spy, for work I mean?"

"Oh, it could be anywhere in the word!"

"Ah, that doesn't help much then, does it?"

Spy shook his head.

"What about in France, where do you go for work?"

"The same, Sniper. It could be absolutely anywhere."

"Nah I mean your headquarters or somethin', you must have a place like that, roight?"

"The Ministry of Defense?"

"Maybe you've seen him there."

"Well we do go from time to time, but that's only for admin papers to be done or, on very rare occasions, when we're given a mission by-"

Spy opened wide eyes and his jaw dropped. 

"Whot?! D'you remember now? Where did you see him?"

"Sniper…"

The Australian looked eager to know.

"It's-I… I know who the RED Spy is!"

The door flung open. 

"Oh hey guys!"

Scout walked in as if he owned the place. He headed for the fridge and got a can of soda. 

"So, what we you talkin' about?"

Sniper growled and made a face as he looked at Scout. Spy was still processing the shock of what he realised. 

"Am I interruptin' somethin'? Also, would you look at that! Fancypants without his tie or jacket! I bet you feel naked like that!"

"Stop it, Scout. Spook, come follow me."

Spy obeyed without thinking about it. They exited the kitchen and as Sniper wore his thick coat, Spy imitated him and both got out of the base.

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading!

Cheesepie, here is chapter 4!

See y'all next time she missses less than 20 credits ;) !

  
  
  
  



	5. Chapter 5

Sniper offered his colleague a cup. It was warm. The masked Frenchie was sitting on the old and worn out couch under the Australian's bed, in his van. They both had got rid of their coats as the Sniper's dwelling was quite warm. He took the cup in his hands but he hesitated before taking a sip. In the end, he decided against it.

"Go on, drink it. I have no reason to drug you."

"Which makes it the perfect reason in itself."

Sniper sighed. 

"Spook, y'know I'm really trying to help you but you're makin' this very hard."

Spy lowered his head. 

"Sorry, Sniper… I-I don't mean to be a pain."

The tall man sat next to his colleague. 

"Spook."

"Oui?"

"I need to talk to you seriously too."

The Frenchie raised an eyebrow. 

"I thought we came here so that I could tell you who the RED Spy is?"

"Yeah. You do that first and then I need to ask you something."

"Fine."

"But before anything, take a sip."

Spy's eyes went to the cup but he still couldn't drink. Force of habit, maybe. He had been trained to be extremely careful may it be with friends or foes.

"Oh, c'mon, look…"

Sniper snatched the cup off Spy's hand and took a gulp.

"Hey!"

He gave the cup back. 

"Are you convinced now?"

Spy frowned and nodded. 

"Fine." 

He finally took a sip. It was herbal tea, with sugar. 

"How did you know for the sugar?"

"You put too much of it in yer coffee, I've seen you. So I guessed you'd like your herbal tea sweet too."

The masked man smiled. 

"Merci."

[Thank you.]

" _ De rien." _

_ [You're welcome.] _

Sniper answered in French and Spy's eyebrows jumped.

"The previous Spook, he taught me some French. But yeah, tell me about the RED one."

"He… Well, you were right. I know him because he was a spy back in France. But not any kind of spy."

"What d'you mean?"

"Sniper, when I was trained, we were told about the deeds of a man. He was, and still is among us, a legend. He- Sniper, there are tales of him escaping a high security prison, people say that he managed to overthrow governments  _ on his own _ !"

Sniper's jaw had dropped. 

"Wait, how can you be sure it's really that bloke?! He's wearin' a mask all the time!"

"I know his face, without the mask and his name. There's a portrait of him in the Ministry."

"Whot?! A portrait of him?!"

"Not just of him, but of anyone who made a major contribution to the security of our country. Sniper, that man is… He's a...  _ a hero _ ."

Spy put a hand on his face and rubbed his eyes. He sighed. 

"A hero?! That arrogant piece of garbage?!"

The Frenchie raised his eyes to his colleague. 

"Well if he's arrogant, he certainly has a lot of reasons why he can be so."

"I can't believe it Spook. How can that bloke be a hero when he's so cold-hearted? I mean, I've talked to him, countless times, before he stabs me or I slice'im. He's everything but a hero. He's everythin' you could possibly hate."

"Non Sniper."

"Wh-?"

"He's everything  _ you _ could possibly hate and you do. But why is that? Because that's exactly what he wants you to do. He wants to you to hate him."

"Why?"

Spy smiled. 

"It makes for a easier kill for him. If you're angry, your emotions overtake you and you're less focused on the fight."

"Oh…"

Spy sighed and frowned.

"In any case, I stand no chance against him."

"Hey, Spook."

Sniper put a hand on his colleague's shoulder. 

"Look, you're younger than'im but that doesn't make you any weaker. I saw you with yer revolver. You're  _ very _ good with it and I don't say it lightly, I mean it. I was shocked when I saw you usin' it. And bloody hell, your reflexes! If you knew how to handle a rifle, I'd be scared to lose my job!"

Spy smiled, albeit sadly. 

"I guess you're right Snoo-oh, uh, I mean Sniper."

The Aussie raised an eyebrow.

"Wait a second there, you got a nickname fer me?"

"I-no, I mean, oui, I-I never really use it though… Just when I think of you, on the battlefield."

"Let's hear it!"

"Oh, non, I-I'd rather not."

"Spook…?"

Spy lowered his head.

"Fine, I call you… Snoop."

"Snoop?"

"Oui."

Sniper chuckled.

"C'mon, there's nothin' wrong with that. I quite like it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's funny…"

Sniper looked down at his colleague who raised his eyes to meet the Australian's. 

"...D'you like 'Spook'?"

"Let's say I got used to it."

Spy smirked and Sniper smiled, rolling his eyes up. 

"Can't you just say you like it?"

"Where would the fun be in that?"

"And you were doubtin' you were a good Spook…!"

Spy raised an eyebrow. 

"What do you mean?"

"You spoke exactly that RED lyin' piker does."

Spy opened wide eyes. He didn't see the corner of Sniper's lips purse in a smile.

"But I have a question for ya, Spook."

"Oh, yes, you did want to ask me something."

Spy took a sip of his herbal tea.

"Why d'you pretend you're a man?"

The French woman nearly spat the tea out. Her eyes opened wide, nearly popping out of her head.

"C'mon, when you opened the button of yer shirt, I could half guess that your chest is… uhm… not like any man I've seen before. And yer voice… It's fine for a young bloke I guess, but c'mon. Also, despite what you try and show, I know there's a heart in there, unlike that other damn Spook."

Spy was speechless. 

"When you told me that you were sorry that I didn't go back home, remember that?"

Spy lowered her head and nodded.

"It was really weird 'cause you uh… Unlike the previous Spook, who I was really friends with, you  _ really _ meant it, I could see it in yer eyes."

Spy shut her eyes and bit her lip. She had failed. The moment the Admin would find out, she would be fired. She covered her face with her hands. 

"You don't say anythin'?"

Spy dropped the act.

"Sniper, you just got me fired."

She stood up and walked to the door. 

"This is farewell."

"Oi, wait-wait-wait!"

Sniper sprang out of the couch and held Spy back from her shoulder.

"Why d'you say that?"

"This is one of the many things I signed for when I joined here. I signed to pretend I was a man."

Spy turned to face her now  _ ex- _ colleague.

"Why?"

"Because a lady among a group of men who haven't seen one in years would disturb you all."

Sniper burst out laughing. Spy made an offended face. 

"Sniper, you just got me fired and you laugh?! Alright, I'm leaving. Goodbye!"

Sniper grabbed Spy's shoulder again.

"I'm sorry mate, I shouldn't have laughed."

"Non, indeed. And let me go!"

Spy wiggled her shoulder to free herself but she felt the man's fingers clench harder on her shoulder.

"Not before I tell you something."

Spy raised an eyebrow. 

"I couldn't care less about sheilas, mate."

"Well, that's what they all say until one morning they wake up with a  _ sheila _ stuck in their heads!"

"No, no, you don't get it. I, uh…"

Sniper looked uncomfortable. He lowered his head and looked left and right.

"I-I…  _ Sheilas don't have much effect on me…" _

Spy's eyes opened wide as a planet and silence fell in the van. Their eyes were locked onto each other for a couple of seconds that felt like decades. Spy lowered her head. 

"Spy, you won't  _ disturb _ me more if you're a lady, on the contrary. And we're in my van. No one knows about it, not even the Admin."

"Is what you said true?"

Spy raised her eyes to look her colleague in the eye. Sniper put a hand behind his neck, he was visibly embarrassed.

"Yeah, it is. Though no one knows about it."

"Then that makes two of us."

Sniper raised his eyes and saw his masked colleague smile softly at him. She put a hand on his shoulder.

"And don't worry, I'm used to keeping secrets. No one will know about it."

The Australian softened. He took a deep breath.

"Thanks, Spook."

"You're welcome, Snoop."

Sniper smiled. Silence fell for a second. Spy looked around her before sitting on the couch again, the Australian followed her.

"So this van, it's your home?"

"Unless I'm with in Oz with my parents, yeah."

"I see. It's quite cozy in all fairness."

"Well that's a first!"

The French lady looked up at her colleague with question marks in her eyes.

"The previous Spook used to hate it, said it was no home."

The Australian took a deep breath and silence fell for a while. He raised his eyes to the window and couldn't see a thing. It was the middle of the night and outside the van it was pitch dark. Only the occasional gust of wind could be heard.

"Thanks, Spook."

Spy smiled. 

"I should be the one thanking you."

"Nah, I mean you seem completely fine with what I've told you… about me."

"Well, what you told me has no influence on me whatsoever."

"I wish more people could think like you."

"Bah, give it time and they will…"

Spy rose up to her feet.

"I'd better go. It's now very late and we have work to do tomorrow."

"Oh, yeah, sure."

Sniper went to open the door for his friend. Spy dropped to the ground elegantly. 

"Hey, Spook?"

She turned.

"Oui?"

"We should talk more often like that."

"Agreed."

Sniper waved goodbye to his colleague and she went back to the base, straight to her room.

_ \-- Spy's room -- _

The French woman removed her mask and threw it away. 

_ Quelle journée… _

_ [What a day…] _

She took a quick shower and found herself in her bed. The water from the shower had woken her up and she felt energised. 

_ Merde, je ne vais jamais réussir à m'endormir… _

_ [Shit, I'll never manage to fall asleep now…] _

She sighed and her arm naturally went to grab her sketchbook under the bed. The pages flipped between her slim fingers easily. She liked the touch of rough, grainy drawing paper. The pencil lightly scratched the paper repeatedly as the young woman thought about her day again. 

_ What a day… First, the RED Spy is no other than a national hero. The national hero.  _

She sighed. 

_ How the hell did he end up in Mann Co.? _

That was of course irrelevant and meaningless. All that mattered was that he was there, in the opposite team and that he was the most cunning man she knew. And that weighed both in her head and on her shoulders. 

The French lady sighed again. She shut her sketchbook, put it back under her bed and switched the night lamp off.

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading! :)

Let me know what you think in the comments, it keeps me going! :)

See you!

  
  
  
  
  
  



	6. Chapter 6

She was walking in the streets of her native city. It was raining and the white noise of the shower was periodically interrupted by the sound of her heels breaking the small puddles and hitting the pavement. 

_ Tak-tok-tak-tok-tak-tok… _

She wanted to reach her destination badly, given the rain. But wait, where was she heading anyway? It didn't matter much.

The young French lady pulled the collar of her coat up and headed straight in front of her as the drops soaked her hair and her face. She stared at her feet, making haste. 

"Oof-"

She bumped into someone. 

"Eh, vous pourriez vous excu-"

[Hey, you could apolo-]

She raised her eyes to give a mean look to whoever had bumped into her but before she could finish her sentence, she gasped. Those icy blue eyes, she had seen them before and she'd recognise them anywhere now that she had seen them for real. Despite the scarf wrapped around that man's face, she could see he was smirking.

She lowered her head and carried on walking, this time a bit faster. She was breathing heavily. She needed to get as far away as possible from that man. The noise of the rain was being holted fast with both the sound of her heels and that of her breath. 

_ Mon Dieu… _

_ [My God…] _

She looked over her shoulder. No one. The French lady decided to stop and look behind her. She turned and saw that the street was empty, she sighed in relief and put a hand to her chest. 

_ Allez. _

_ [Let's go.] _

She took a couple of steps before bumping on a wall. She raised her head. The rain had stopped and she was in the Ministry of Defense, in front of that  _ wall of fame. _ Framed pictures of the heroes who contributed to the liberation of France after German invasion, others had taken part in operation to bring peace to the colonies.

_ Qu'est-ce que…? _

_ [What the…?] _

She opened big round eyes as her breath cut short. All the pictures were of the same man.  _ That man. _ She raised her head and took a step back. It felt as if the wall was towering her, bending slowly above her. All the pictures smirked in unison. 

As the wall bent down more and more, she bent backwards until she almost lost her balance and started walking back. Everything was dark except for that wall covered in red tapestry that she could only see in the thin lines between the frames of the portrait.

_ Qu'est-ce que…? _

_ [What the fuck…?] _

And suddenly she felt it, in her guts. 

_ Merde, j'ai peur. _

_ [Shit, I'm scared.] _

That was something she hadn't felt in years and she had been trained to be completely desensitised to it. What was she scared of?

She spun on her heels and ran in the darkness which wasn't half as frightening as seeing the million copies of that man look her dead in the eye. The young lady ran until she couldn't see the wall above her shoulder anymore. But at that point, she was surrounded by darkness and a deafening silence. Fair enough, she calmed her breath after the rush and started walking, looking left and right searching for any sign of life. 

"Spook?"

She turned her head repeatedly. 

"Sniper?"

"Spook! Over here!"

She looked right and left, following the sound of her friend until finally she saw him waving at her, a lightbulb above his head showering him with a soft warm light.

"Oh finally!"

She ran at her friend.

"What's wrong Spook? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"It's him! It's the RED Spy, he-he keeps on following me, I hate that."

Sniper smiled softly. 

"Calm down mate, I'm with you now, he won't get to ya. And in any case, why are you afraid?"

"I-I don't know. I just know he's clever, awfully clever and cunning. And to think he's somewhere around here creeps me out."

"Hey…"

Sniper put a hand on his friend's shoulder. She looked up at him. 

"You have no reason to fret…"

The Frenchie raised an eyebrow as she stared intensely at Sniper. Snoop wouldn't use the word  _ 'fret' _ , non, that was too… posh. She frowned. 

"Somethin's the matter?"

She felt it in her guts, something was wrong,  _ very much so. _ Heat started creeping up on her as that same poisonous stinging woke up in her body: fear. Sniper smirked and put a hand on his face. He wiped his face and in a cloud of smoke, his eyes went from lagoon blue to ice-cold, almost grey. His eyebrows went from brown and bushy to thin and black and there he was, the RED Spy. 

She gasped and took a step back, freeing herself from his grip on her shoulder, a horrified look on her face. 

He didn't even need to speak. His stare and devilish smile were enough. She felt naked under his cold, almost metallic eyes and like a reflex, she put her hands around her, as if to cover herself. He slowly bent to her ear, she felt him, his warm breath tickling her neck. 

Before he could say anything, the young lady woke up with a jump. She sat up in a flash and looked around her, blinking repeatedly as if to make sure she really made it back to reality and in a sense, to safety. She sighed and put a hand on her chest. 

It took her some time to catch her breath and she thanked the All-Mighty that it was only a bad dream. She looked at the clock and it was only a few minutes before the alarm would ring. 

_ Eh… _

She threw the duvet away and slipped out of her bed. The French lady got dressed quickly and headed to the kitchen. She knew it was now the weekend and there was no real reason for anyone to be up that early. She nonetheless hoped to see her friend Sniper. 

She pushed the kitchen door. 

"Mornin' Spook. You up this early?"

She sighed in relief and smiled. 

"So are you, Snoop."

"Heh, you're roight. It's a habit. I can't sleep very long."

"Neither can I."

"Coffee?"

" _ Avec plaisir." _

_ [With great pleasure.] _

Sniper nodded and grabbed a mug and poured the dark liquid in. It swirled at the bottom of the mug and slowly rose as its warm vapor wreathed and curled, the smell slowly diffusing in the room. Meanwhile, Spy went to the fridge to get the milk and opened a cupboard to get the sugar pot. 

"Any plans this weekend?" The Australian asked. 

"I intend to go to town. I need to buy a few things. Actually, may I ask you if you know what would be the most practical way to get there?"

Sniper chuckled. 

"There it is."

He pointed at the window. 

"What?"

"Me van."

"I won't drive that."

"Nah, of course not. I will."

"Whot?"

Sniper laughed. 

"Mate, there aren't too many ways to get out of the base. It's either a Mann Co. supply truck and you'd have to hide inside it, or it's me van and I can take you anywhere you want."

Sniper handed the cup to Spy who nodded in thanks. She added the milk and sugar and put them back where they belonged. 

"I will not ask you to do that, Sniper. We're awfully far from any kind of city and I don't want to make you drive for so long."

"Well lucky you don't have to ask me anythin'. I need to get to town too. I can take you in the van and drop you where you want."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I need to buy some things for my rifles."

Spy bit her lip and took a sip of her coffee. She wasn't sure Sniper was telling the truth and she didn't want to impose anything on him. It could turn out to be a favour that Sniper is making and he could expect her to repay it later. Spy hated to be in debt. 

"Spook, if that's what's botherin' ya, I drop you off where I go and then you go and do what you need; that way, I won't know where you've been."

She took another sip of her coffee and her face relaxed. It might not mean much for the sharpshooter but that kind of small attention was what made Spy want to trust him more. 

"You sure it won't be much trouble for you?"

"Nah, I'm litterally goin' there! It won't cost me anythin' to have you with me. Actually, a bit of company shouldn't hurt much."

"In that case, thank you very much, Sniper."

"No worries."

They smiled at each other as the first rays of sunlight pierced through the white monochrome of that morning. Spy stood next to Sniper and both watched the sun slowly rise, feeling the faint warmth on their faces.

"I had the weirdest dream yesterday."

Sniper looked at her friend for an instant before drinking a bit more of his coffee.

"I felt scared. It hadn't happened in years."

"Scared of what?"

"God only knows… I only remember seeing-"

"Mornin' fellas!"

Engie entered the kitchen. 

"Mornin' mate."

"Good morning."

Spy and Sniper finished their coffee in a gulp. They both put their mugs in the sink and Sniper lightly shook his head in direction of his camper van. Spy nodded.

_ \-- Sniper's van -- _

The French woman had gone back to her room to gather what she needed. Her wallet, a scarf and her coat. She locked her door and headed to Sniper's van.

There was a knock on the backdoor.

"Come in!"

Spy pushed the door and glanced behind her quickly before shutting it. 

"You came quickly."

"Do you need more time?"

"Nah, I'm ready. Let's hop on at the front."

The next thing they knew, Spy and Sniper were at the front and the Australian revved the engine as he drove the van on the road. The masked woman looked in her rear view mirror and saw the base shrinking more and more as the van's roar settled down.

"So, what was yer dream about? You said you were scared."

Sniper quickly glanced at his friend before his eyes went back to the road. 

"Hm, oui. You're going to think I'm a lunatic."

"As if that wasn't already the case…!"

The Australian smiled as he gently mocked his friend. 

"Hey!"

The sharpshooter laughed.

"Sorry mate, I'm just jokin', but please go ahead and tell me."

"Right, so yes, the only thing I remember is being chased by the RED Spy."

"Oh that's nothing to worry about, mate. It's happened to me countless times in real life."

Sniper was trying to make his colleague smile but a quick glance over her told him that he would struggle.

"Sniper, I-I didn't tell you everything I know about that man."

His smile disappeared and the young lady resumed her speech.

"Here is the thing. I joined the special intelligence forces a bit by chance. I know I'm far from the best one in my field, alright? When I started training, it was tough, horribly so, especially when you're a woman surrounded by men. Countless people would try and discourage me or at best, look at me with  _ 'quit already, you're not gonna make it' _ look in their eyes. One of my instructors believed the contrary. He thought that it was actually very cunning to have ladies in the intelligence services. And so he pushed me to never give up. He taught me what he knew and how to use it."

"What's all this got to do with the RED Spook?"

"Wait for it, please. It's hard for me to phrase my ideas."

"Roight, sorry mate."

"It's fine. So… Yes, in the end, I was the only female of my year to make it to the end. All the others had been discouraged or invited to quit, whatever they want to call it. One day, after my official appointment as a French spy, this instructor called me to meet him in his office, so I did. He took me through corridors and parts of the building of the Ministry of Defense that I had never been through. In the end, we were both facing a large wall with framed pictures. The frames were very elegant, they were wooden but painted in gold. Back then, the pictures were all in black and white. I looked at all of them with attention, not knowing why he had brought me there. He said that he would be proud to see my face one day on that wall."

"Oh, wow… You must be quite good despite what you say then."

"Non Sniper, there are a thousand people that I could name you who are much better than I am. But that's beside the point. I remember my instructor, Marc, wasn't on the wall. So I asked him why. I knew he was an outstanding agent, he received quite a number of medals for his service. Do you know what he told me?"

Sniper shook his head.

"I remember it as if it was yesterday. He said 'I did many things some could consider heroic but there was a man who stood out a thousand times more than me.' He pointed at one of the framed pictures."

"Don't tell me it was the RED Spook he was pointin' at…!"

"Yes it was, Snoop. He said that the man who we know as the RED Spy used to be very close friends with him. He lost contact a couple of years before I joined the intelligence force. Since then, he hadn't heard much of the RED Spy, apart from the fact that he had decided to retire."

"Wait, the RED Spook has retired? He isn't that old!"

"I know. But apparently it was his choice. Marc told me that countless times the Ministry begged him to come back as an instructor, but countless times he refused. He could have been  _ my _ instructor!"

Sniper burst out laughing. 

"Mate, sorry but I can't see that arrogant piker having the patience to teach anyone anything!"

Spy smiled. 

"Fair enough, maybe it was for the better."

"Spook?"

"Oui?"

"I think that you dreamt of him cause you were so surprised to see him there in the flesh."

"I think so too, even though I can't help thinking there might be more to it."

"Why?"

"Because I felt afraid."

"The way I see things,  _ he  _ should be the one scared of ya. You know an awful lot about him and he surely didn't even know you existed before he met you."

Spy smiled proudly. She hadn't seen things that way. 

"Ah, that's true!"

Sniper quickly looked at his friend and smiled. 

"And it's only a bad dream, so sit back and relax while I do all the work,  _ princess _ !"

"Oh I'm not a princess!"

Sniper looked at his friend.

"Oh my! We're gettin' humble now?"

Spy smirked. 

"I'm a  _ queen." _

"Oh shut it!"

Sniper playfully shoved his friend. 

"Hey! Keep your hands on the steering wheel!" 

The Australian's hoarse laughter felt true, honest, which the young lady particularly liked. When they landed back in reality, the pink in their cheeks slowly fading, Spy was the one to break the silence. 

"Snoop?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"Fer bein' yer personal  _ chauffeur?" _

"No, I mean, yes, but these conversations we have, they're uhm… precious to me."

The man looked at his friend. She couldn't look him in the eye and faced the window. It was hard to talk about what she felt. It was not something she was used to and each time she did so, she felt like she was doing something wrong or forbidden. But it felt so natural! Sniper was the ideal friend for her. He wasn't very talkative, knew to keep his mouth shut, yet the Australian shared the kind of sarcastic sense of humour that was more common to anglophones than francophones. She appreciated the teasing jokes too. All in all, she felt  _ comfortable _ with him. They were both killers and she was hired  _ as a spy _ so there was no need to hide her job or pretend she was someone else, what a luxury!

"Glad to help."

"Tell me about you now."

"Me?"

"Yes  _ you _ , my personal  _ chauffeur  _ of the day."

" _ Of the day?!  _ Whot's that s'pposed to mean?! Do you have other ones? Is the lady such a princess that she takes one driver a day?!"

"If only I could…!" She answered to tease her friend and it did not miss.

"Oi! I'm a bloody good driver! I'm careful, I'm nice, and I can even do small talk!"

"You?! Small talk?!" 

The young lady was scoffing at her friend.

"Why d'you sound so surprised?!"

"Pray show me then,  _ Monsieur Snoop." _

"Roight, roight. You want small talk, here we go… How is  _ Her Majesty _ today?"

Spy smirked and leant back in her seat, looking awfully pride. 

"She's doing just fine, thanks for asking."

"May I ask what  _ Her Majesty _ is lookin' to get from town?"

"You may but I may not answer."

He looked at her and saw that she was wiggling her eyebrows with the most smug smile on her lips. He rolled his eyes up and sighed, his lips pursing in a smile. 

"Roight, roight…"

"But!" Spy cut him. "You are in luck. I feel talkative today so I'll tell you."

"Ooh,  _ Her Majesty _ is too good to me…!" Sniper rolled his eyes again and Spy couldn't hold a chuckle.

"I look to fill my small kitchen. I have plates and cutlery and that sort of things but I need some food to store there. That way I won't have to come out of my room so often."

"Oh, roight."

"What about you? You said you were looking for a few things for your rifles?"

"Yeah, there are some bits and pieces that need replacin'."

"Ah, fair enough."

"Also, we're getting close to town now. See?"

Sniper pointed in front of him and indeed the first few buildings had emerged from the horizon, like concrete trees would grow from the white and snowy ground.

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading!

Let me know what you think!

See you!

  
  
  
  
  
  



	7. Chapter 7

_ J'ai ce qu'il me faut. Il est temps de retourner au camping car. _

_ [I have what I need. Time to go back to the van.] _

The young woman carried her bags across the small town. It wasn't too busy in the streets although if one got close to the marketplace, they could hear the hustle of people and the shouts of the fishermen.

She passed that place and headed for the parking lot not far from the city hall. That's where Sniper had parked his van. As she approached, she saw her friend in the driver's seat with a magazine in his hands. She gave a short knock at the door and it startled him. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." She said as he opened his door. 

"Bloody hell Spook! Roight, come put yer stuff at the back."

She followed her friend who opened the van's back door. He jumped in and took the bags from her hands to put them away. When he emerged again, he slammed the backdoor shut and motionned her to get to the front seats. 

"You got everythin' you needed?"

Both fastened their seatbelts. 

"Oui, mostly. What about you?"

Sniper revved the engine and off they went.

"Yeah, they actually had some sales goin' so I took a bit more time to check things out."

"Ah, good."

The Australian was indeed a careful driver, especially in town. When they reached the snowy desert again, he pushed his foot on the gas pedal a bit more. The road was mostly empty, they would only meet the very occasional truck, transporting goods across the country, no doubt. 

Sniper turned the radio on and the music slowly filled the van. It was popular music, the usual and generic American hit song that gets exported everywhere and can even be heard in the Parisian clubs. 

Spy looked at her companion from the corner of her eye, to not make him feel uncomfortable as she stared. 

The man had his quirks, yes. But at heart he was a good man. Something was stuck in her head from the first few conversations they shared. Sniper kept on comparing her to her predecessor. She didn't think much of it at first but now that she realised he could stay mute for long periods of time, locked up in his van, something felt…  _ off. _ The man who lives in a van, the lonely hunter who rarely comes for dinner, doesn't talk much and doesn't interact much with the rest of the team; that man had defended her in front of Scout. But they didn't know each other that well back then. He couldn't have defended her  _ for her sake. _ Non. But then why? What prompted him to actually make the effort? If he didn't defend her  _ for her _ , then he defended her because she was a spy…?

_ Oh… _

Her eyes snapped wide as she put two and two together. She now understood it. 

"Sniper?"

"Yeah?"

"May I ask you something rather personal?"

The sharpshooter raised an eyebrow and looked at her with question marks in his eyes. 

"Y-yeah I guess."

"Of course, feel free to not answer if you don't want to."

He nodded.

"You were close to the previous spy, non?"

"Y-yeah."

"Am I right in thinking that you were  _ quite close  _ to each other?"

She had particularly insisted on those two words:  _ quite close. _ That, she had learned, was the British way to say  _ 'very close' _ . The Australian blushed and looked away. 

"I'm sorry for you, Sniper."

Silence fell. Spy understood that if Sniper had decided to look at the window on his side of the van, it was to hide his face. She wanted to apologise, say something, anything… But the words didn't come. She simply put her gloved hand on top of his, on the gearbox and tapped it lightly. He gasped and looked at her. She looked at the window on her side. She wanted to respect his privacy but also show him that she was there for him. 

The French lady heard him sniff a couple of times before he tightened his grip on the gearbox, below her hand. 

"Thanks…" 

He managed to whisper between two sniffs. 

"You liked him a lot but I don't know if he felt the same for you. Do you know?"

"No, I don't. He might have and hid it well. Or he might as well not have felt much, or not as much as me."

"What kind of man was he?"

"The kind to manage to make me do whatever he wanted, just with a smile… Bastard…"

"Bastard with a deadly smile it seems."

"Yeah, kind of."

"I see."

"What about you, Spook? D'you have anyone in yer life?"

She laughed. 

"Hahahaa! Non, not at all, neither a man nor a woman. I like my freedom too much and hate the feeling of being tied to someone."

"Oh, I see, a bit of a loner."

"Oui. I much prefer it that way."

"Did you have some successes before?"

"Oh yes, plenty. Charm is such a deadly weapon."

"True."

"But I refused more applications than I thought I would ever get, if you follow my meaning."

"Hm."

The Australian parked the van on the side of the road. Spy raised an eyebrow and looked around. They were in the middle of a snowy kind of nowhere. A couple of meters away from the road, some cacti punctuated the white of the snow for as far as the eye could see but there wasn't a single building or trace of human activity.

"Follow me, Spook."

She didn't really understand why her friend would stop and invite her to get out of the van with him. She nonetheless obeyed. In any case, she knew how to react if things went pear-shaped.

"So, get yer gun out."

"What?"

"C'mon I know you wouldn't go anywhere without yer gun and yer blade. Get it out and aim for this…"

Sniper walked away from her friend and traced an big "X" on a cacti with his kukri.

She sighed and put a hand in her inner pocket. The barrel of her revolver shone brightly and she aimed for the mark. The Australian came closer to her, his eyes riveted on her hand.

"That's not roight. Move yer thumb a bit down, like this… And your arm should be more at this level…"

While talking, he fiddled with his colleagues fingers and joints, and she made herself as easy to manipulate as if she was made of paper.

"Roight, now shoot."

The sound of the gunshot split the silence of the forest and the trees carried the echo far away. She smiled as she could see the bullet hole about half an inch from the mark.

"That's better than what you usually do but that was only step one."

"What's step two?"

"Your elbow. Gimme yer gun, I'll show you."

Naturally, she didn't want to give away her weapon and kept staring in Sniper's eyes. 

"Spook…"

Sniper lowered his hand a bit more. She yielded and gave him the revolver. 

"When you shoot, you have the tendency to let your forearm take the recoil while your hand goes limp. That's not the way to do it. Your hand should be the first one to take it in, then your forearm and eventually your arm, if it's a rifle. But you're usin' a light revolver. Your hand should be sufficient to absorb the recoil. I'll show ya…"

He took a step closer to his colleague. 

"Put your right hand on mine as if you were holding the gun and yer left hand on my forearm."

She did as she was told. 

"This is how you shoot."

He shot the tree. The bullet went to the center of the X. 

"Now this is how you  _ should _ shoot."

He did it again and again, the bullet arrived in the middle of the X.

"Oh, I see."

"You felt the difference, eh?"

"Yes, I did."

He handed the revolver back to her. 

"Tell me what you felt."

"Your forearm was much more tense on the first shot and much less on the second and it was the opposite for your hand."

"Exactly. And what about the aim?"

She looked at the tree.

"It didn't make any bloody difference, Snoop!"

"Yeah you're right. It does make any damn difference  _ if you're standin' still _ and takin' your time. But if you were runnin' away at the same time I can guarantee you won't miss any shots."

"Hm. I guess you're right."

"Try it next week and let me know how it goes, ok?"

"Will do. Thanks, Snoop."

He gave her a warm smile. 

"Lawrence."

"What?"

"My name. It's Lawrence."

"That's a very beautiful name I think..." She said as they walked back to the van.

"Thanks."

"...Doesn't suit you."

"Oi!"

Spy burst into laughter as the both entered the van. 

"And what's yer name, eh?"

"Ah-ah! A spy always keeps their secrets!"

Sniper started the van's engine and off the went, back on the road.

"Fine,  _ princess. _ "

"Queen." Spy corrected her friend. 

"Yer a princess to me."

"I shall demonstrate that I am more than that then."

He looked at her and smiled. When was the last time he had such good banter with anyone? He couldn't remember. Even with the previous Spy, he didn't have such a good connection. Sniper had almost forgotten how enjoyable a good friendship could be. In his heart, he thanked the Lord up above to have blessed him that way. He might have lost a lover, but he earned a friend that for some reason, he held close to his heart. 

"D'you have a family back in France? Or in England maybe?"

"Not anymore I'm afraid."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

"Bah those things happen. One day you become a spy, the next you come back home with a medal and as a warm welcome you get a slap across the face."

Sniper opened wide eyes.

"What?!"

"My mother. She wasn't too keen on me joining the military but I nonetheless did. And the day I came back with proof that she could be proud of me, she threw me away."

"Oh… I-I'm sorry Spook, really. You must miss her."

"Oui, I do. I miss her and my siblings."

"You have siblings?"

"Hm-mh." She nodded. "A sister and a brother, much younger than you and I."

Sniper quickly glanced over the rear view window and switched gears. 

"Do you have any siblings, Snoop?"

"Nah, nah I don't."

"Right."

Silence fell only for a short moment, for Sniper soon asked:

"Actually, Spook, how old are you?"

"The same age as you."

"Really?"

She nodded.

"Hm-mh."

"You look much younger."

"Oui, and you can blame the Australian sun."

"Ah, yeah, fair enough."

Sniper's eyes were riveted on the empty road. The yellow stripes on the asphalt rolled before his eyes again and again. The roaring noise of the van's engine had become only a part of the decor now, an element of background. Spy was looking through the window. The endless layer of white was shining quite brightly under the sun. She put a hand in her inner pocket and put on a pair of sunglasses. The few cacti emerging from the snow here and there had got caught by the winter which had fallen quite abruptly that year. Cacti. The lady's mind rolled back to a about an hour ago, when Sniper was showing her how to improve on her aim. 

He was a good teacher, he knew how to pay attention to his student and listen to her. He looked very focused too. Bah, one surely has to be when you're such an exceptional marksman. She had seen him on the battlefield. His shots were similar to his way of speaking. Concise and efficient. She wished she could-uh, maybe it was too much to ask. 

She looked at him and he looked at her, only realising she had put on a pair of sunglasses then. 

"Oh, sunglasses, cool."

"Thanks."

She hesitated before adding. 

"Snoop?"

"Yeah?"

"May I ask you something?"

"I don't have any money."

She chuckled as he smiled. 

"That's not what I was going to ask!"

"Well, you never know…! But yeah, tell me."

"Your rifle, the one I've seen you use, I've handled similar models before."

"Really?"

"Oui. I like rifles. Sniping is in a way as elegant as backstabbing. You carefully pick your prey and eliminate them without them even knowing what hit them."

"I guess, yeah. But I'm very different from your lot. I'd be a shite spook."

"That's what you say, but look at me. Even  _ I _ am a spy, and believe me, I was far from meeting the requirements when I started! It's a question of training, a bit like aiming."

Sniper raised an eyebrow. 

"Oui, even though some people are naturally gifted for it, you go from having a good aim to being the outstanding sharpshooter that you are by training relentlessly."

"Wait, wait, wait there, did you just make a compliment to me, Spook?"

She smirked. 

"I didn't hear anything like that…!"

"Oi! I heard it!"

"You must have dreamt it, Snoop."

He rolled up his eyes.

"Lyin' spooky…"

Sniper was looking for his words. 

"... Princess."

She smiled behind her sunglasses. It had been such a long time since she could be herself with someone. She had missed it, that freedom, that luxury, to be what she really was and not what she was told to be. But as with everything else, you don't realise the importance of something until you lose it. 

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading and bravo Cheesepie, you earned this! ;) 

Let me know what you think of this one!

See you :)

  
  



	8. Chapter 8

The weekend had passed smoothly but now another week of battle sessions was about to start. That Monday morning, the cold was crisp and even if she was tightly wrapped in her clothes, Spy could feel the cold biting her bones through the cashmere of her jumper. 

_ "5… 4… 3… 2… 1… BEGIN!" _

The gates to the BLU spawn rolled open in a flash and bullets as well as projectiles of all kinds started flying, splitting the frosty light blue sky.

Sniper stayed at spawn and took aim. Spy passed him and as she cloaked, she put a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head and she nodded to him. 

_ Oh…? _

Sniper looked surprised for an instant but he reciprocated the smile and nodded in his turn. She was really saying 'good luck' and he understood it, despite her fading into thin air. He could almost hear her voice say it with her absurdly posh British accent. The Australian put the scope in front of his eye again and took aim. He didn't realise it but he was smiling. 

That was the last he saw of her throughout the entire match. But his thoughts came back to her between shots, like magnets to iron. Screw the previous Spy. That bastard was just using him for…  _ well, physical needs. _ The Australian frowned as he reloaded, too fast! His thumb would always get caught in the reloading mechanism which caused it to have a black mark on the nail. He knew more modern models existed, which had a different way of reloading, one that would not entail any bruises to his thumb. But he wouldn't change his rifle for the world. He knew it too well and it was one of the very few  _ non-Mann Co. _ weapons that he could use. 

As usual, the battle was tough, especially in such cold weather. Sniper would try to warm his fingers on his cup of coffee but it turned cold in no time. He looked at the sky, it was blue but covered in thin streaks of mushy clouds. The Australian sighed and a thick cloud of steam escaped his mouth. He covered his mouth with his scarf and continued his work. 

_ \-- Friday that week -- _

The alarm didn't need to ring for Sniper to wake up. The man had very light sleep and usually woke up early. He shivered. His van was freezing.

_ Bugger… _

He came down the bed, pulling the blanket on his back to never leave him and he turned on the small electric heater before unrolling his morning routine. Once dressed and ready, he exited his van and went to the base to get some breakfast. 

As soon as he entered the base, he sighed and quickly pushed the door shut. The wind was blowing quite strongly, licking his face with its icy tongue. He was glad the base was heated. The Australian removed his coat and scarf and headed to the kitchen. 

"Oh, mornin' Spook."

Upon seeing his colleague, he forgot about the cold. 

"Bonjour Snoop." She replied, with a nod.

"Long time I haven't seen you fer breakfast."

"Should I understand that you missed me?"

He went to the counter and was about to help himself to some coffee but she was quicker and handed him a cup. He took it and the warmth of the black and vital liquid diffused in his fingers.

"Oh-thanks."

"You're welcome but you haven't answered my question." She said. 

"Well I-I don't know, what about you? Why did you come here? Don't you have yer own kitchen and stuff?"

"I do indeed. But I did."

"You did what?"

She rolled her eyes up and took a sip of her coffee, hiding her face behind the cup. Sniper raised a curious eyebrow. He gulped down a bit of the black warm liquid and it washed away the fog in his mind. Suddenly, he understood what his friend meant. 

_ She did miss me. _

He smiled and hid his face behind his cup, pretending to warm his cheek against it. They both naturally converged to face the window. 

"Any plans for the weekend Snoop?"

"Uh, non actually. What about you?"

"Might phone my parents. It's been a long time since last time I called them."

"Oh, I see."

"Dad was a bit ill. I hope he's better."

"Nothing serious I hope?"

"Nah, his joints are just not what they used to be anymore. Sometimes they hurt and sometimes it goes away. It's just his age."

"Ah, fair enough. He should avoid the cold. I know some good massage oils if he wants. Some even diffuse heat slowly, that might help."

Sniper looked down at his colleague. She felt his gaze and looked up at him. 

"What?" She simply asked, one eyebrow raised.

"You make me laugh, you do."

"Why? I am serious, I know some good oils, quite expensive, yes, but I can assure you they work wonders."

"Nah, not that. It's just… You're very nice."

"And you find it  _ funny _ of all things?"

"N-nah I mean…  _ Funny _ isn't the right word, I'd say it's uh…  _ surprising?" _

"Oh, so me being nice and trying to help your father is  _ surprising,  _ I see, so you expected me to be mean?"

"No, no, that's not what I meant."

"What is it then?"

Sniper sighed. 

"J-just… Thank you."

She smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. She went to the door and closed it before coming back next to him. 

"Snoop, I'm pulling your leg, I know what you mean."

"Ah, well, thanks anyway."

Spy stared at her colleague. She was about one foot shorter than him but at that point, the marskman wished he could be tiny.

"You're funny when you blush."

"I'm not blushin'!"

"Yes, you are. Your cheeks are turning pink."

"It's 'cause of the hot coffee."

"Of course…"

She smirked as her friend turned even more pink. 

\-----

Weeks passed and rolled, one after the other. On the battlefield, Spy finished to completely integrate and melt into her team. They now worked like a well oiled machine. Little by little, she received new weapons and although she kept preferring her default knife, she loved using the Ambassador. With such a deadly aim as hers, she found that that new revolver was a massive improvement. Even though it would rarely kill on one shot, it was now a powerful deterring tool. Most her enemies would chase her upon finding her but she had noticed a significant difference now. Each time she would get her gun out, she could see the hesitation and fear in her enemy's eyes, and to be perfectly honest… She couldn't say she hated the feeling. She partly owed it to Sniper. He was the one who continuingly gave her advice on how to better use her revolver. The French woman was more than grateful for it. She knew she was already much better than average with a gun but now she was outstanding. 

That weekend, she found herself sharing a cup of tea in Sniper's van. The sun was shining outside and through the ceiling window above the sharpshooter's bed, the light was drowning the narrow room. 

"Snoop?"

"Hm?"

"I want to thank you for the shooting lessons."

"Well you just did. And you're welcome."

Sniper raised his mug to his friend and took a sip. 

"Non, you misunderstood me."

He raised an eyebrow as the mug lowered before his eyes.

"I want to offer you something in exchange."

"I don't need anything."

"Maybe but I insist and in any case, it is ready to be given to you."

"Oh…"

"If you excuse me an instant, I will go and fetch it from my room."

"Alroight, I'll wait fer you here."

Spy put her mug on the small kitchen top and nodded before exiting the van, leaving the tall man thoughtful on his couch. He never asked for anything in exchange for his advice. To him, they weren't worth much and weren't hard to get. But of course one would think yielding a firearm is natural when you've been doing for as long as you can remember. 

Sniper sighed. The only time he ever questioned giving Spy lessons on improving her aim was when she first asked him. 

_ What would there be in it for me? _

To be honest, he didn't know what to expect for an answer. He asked it just because he needed to know his colleague before accepting to pass his knowledge on to her. He remembered her answer. 

_ The company you've been lacking for a very long time.  _

Never could she be more accurate. They knew each other very well by now and got along equally well. 

_ Funny how things change. _

Sniper's mind rolled back to the time before her, with the previous Spy. He admitted it to himself and had learnt to accept it now. The bastard was using him, completely. He didn't have any feelings for Sniper. 

Did it matter? Not anymore. Sniper learnt to look back at it not with bitterness and shame but rather, with a feeling of almost nostalgia. Spy, the previous one, was now an ex-lover, an adventure he had been through with quite a handsome man. It taught him a lot, even if it was short and if the lessons came long after the man was gone. So be it. 

The knock at the door broke his train of thought. 

"C'me in, Spook!"

The woman slipped in quickly with a wide rectangular package under her arm. She quickly shut the door and shivered. 

"Mon Dieu! Is this cold ever going to end?!"

Sniper smiled. 

"You can have a second cup of tea to warm you up if you want. I think there's some left."

"You bet I will!"

He stood up and helped her out of her coat and scarf. 

"Thanks Snoop."

She poured the tea from the kettle to her cup and quickly took a sip of it, sighing afterwards.

"Oh Lord, I needed this."

"Careful Spook, you're turnin' English…!"

She gasped comically. 

" _ Jamais!" _

_ [Never!] _

She let herself collapse on the couch, next to him.. 

"Right, here it is."

She handed the rectangular object to her friend. It was wrapped in glossy navy wrapping paper with a dark red knot. Sniper took it in his hands and looked at it. It was too big to be a book. It could have been a very big chocolate box but it would have been the biggest he'd ever seen.

"Open it, Snoop!"

"Alroight, alroight, don't rush me Princess."

He ran his fingers on it to finally the edge of the wrapping paper. From there, he grasped it and pulled. Spy stared at his face and saw his eyes widen behind the aviator glasses. 

"Bloody hell, Spook…"

Once all the paper had been thrown away Sniper could see as a whole. It was a framed portrait of… _ himself. _

"Did you do it?" He asked, breathless.

"Do you doubt it?" She replied with a smirk. 

"Is there anythin' you're bad at?!"

"I'm surprised you're the one to ask. You've been repeating relentlessly that my gun handling is very poor, Snoop."

"I-I… It must have taken you ages to make it!"

"About 2 weeks every night."

"Woh… I mean, thanks a lot. That's-that's fantastic!"

"Glad you recognise yourself, that means I didn't screw it up too badly."

"You kiddin'!"

"Also, I hope you don't mind the lack of colours. I like black and white much better and colours are very hard for me."

"No, of course I don't mind, it's… I'm speechless…"

"Good."

He looked at the portrait for a bit longer, capturing all the details. It was done with a black pen but everything was there: the hat, the glasses, the sideburns… Sniper raised his eyes off the picture to finally meet his friend's. He stared at her for a couple of seconds.

"Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah, I'm just thinkin'... Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Could you… Uh, if I gave you a picture, say, of people… But the picture is old and not in a very good state… B-but you can still see the people on it quite clearly, eh… Would you be able to draw it?"

Spy raised an eyebrow.

"It depends how badly the picture is damaged and how complicated it is. Do you have it somewhere? May I have a look?"

"Oh yeah, o'course…"

The Australian sprang to his feet and started rummaging through his cupboards. Sniper wasn't the messiest man the French lady had seen, but he was also very far from being the most tidy. Suddenly, he came back to the sofa and handed it to his friend. 

"There, that's it."

She delicately took it in her gloved hands. The paper was torn and folded in different places but one could still see it. A young boy and his parents in front of quite a large wooden house.

"Is that…?" She asked and Sniper nodded. 

"Yeah, it's me and my parents a good couple of decades ago."

"You look adorable."

He smiled. 

"Thanks. I remember that day. I had come back home and Dad was very excited 'cause he had just bought that camera. This is one of the first pictures he's ever taken with it."

She smiled and stared. 

"You're quite tall but you don't seem to have inverited that directly from your parents."

Sniper put a hand behind his head. 

"Well, yeah…"

"I will try and draw it for you."

"Thanks Spook."

She took out her cigarette case/disguise kit and put the picture safely there for it not to get damaged any further. 

"It will take me quite some time though, Snoop."

"That's fine, there's no need to rush."

"So, where will you hang it?" Spy asked, pointing at the framed portrait. 

"Good question."

Sniper stood up and looked around as if his van was much bigger than it actually was. There wasn't many possibilities and he naturally walked to the door. 

"I'll put it there."

"On your door?"

"Yeah, what d'you think?"

"Fair enough, and you can see yourself each time you exit the van."

"Oh yeah, I hadn't seen it like that."

"How did you see it then?"

Spy asked, as she took a sip of her coffee, teasing her friend.

"Well, uhm, more some'in' like, uh… Now I have a good reason to get out of my van."

Sniper turned his back to his friend to hang the picture. There was no way he could face his friend with so much red on his cheek. She simply raised an eyebrow and smirked. She understood what Sniper meant without putting it on words. 

_ Now I have a good reason to get out of my van _ . 

That meant that before her time, he had none. That also meant he wasn't leaving the confines of his van and had been doing so for quite some time presumably. She felt it in her heart, the sharp heartbreak that her friend had been through. It stung her on the spot, for an instant and it was already painful so God only knew how painful it was to feel it all the time, everyday.

Spy herself had gone through a few of those. But they were meaningless. She was very young when it had happened and since then, the situation weirdly and quite unexpectedly flipped the other way around. Now  _ she _ was the one to break some hearts. Sometimes, it was required and part of her job; other times, it was not part of the plan. But she liked her freedom too much and it was painful and difficult enough to be free when one is a spy. She had to follow strict rules and never stray from them. But that was very much worth it. She knew why she was doing it. 

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

A surprise for you Cheesepie ;) !

Thanks for reading and let me know what you thought.

See you,

  
  
  



	9. Chapter 9

Friday had come as quick as a flash. Without even realising it, the mercenaries were fighting their last battle of the week. The BLUs were at their gates, the REDs on the other side of the metallic doors. 

"Bonne chance, Sniper."

Spy walked and stood besides her friend.

"Yeah, good luck to you too Spook."

They exchanged a warm smile and the gates flashed open. Spy vanished in thin air and rushed out. The sounds of the blasts and explosions deafening at first, soon blended in the air. She had gone round the enemy's back and was watching, watching for an opportunity on any member of the enemy team. 

"Spy, they have a sentry, could you take care of it?"

She quickly looked for it and soon enough, she found it. 

"Non, I can't, they're all to grouped around it. I would need a distraction of some sort. Scout, do you have your Bonk can?"

"Yeah!"

"Alright, let me know when and I'll try."

The Bostonian gulped down what Spy refused to call  _ a drink _ . At best, it was a blend of chemicals in a can. In any case, he soon felt the effects of the energy drink kicking in. 

"Hey! Look'ere chuckle heads!"

Spy decloaked and headed straight for the sentry while the REDs where busy trying to push back the annoying runner who was absorbing all the bullets and rockets from the sentry. He raised his sapper and was about to put it on the sentry when the Pyro turned on his heels and sprayed scorching defeat on the French lady. She had time to put the sapper but she got burnt to a crisp and the RED Engineer could remove it easily. 

_ Click. _

She adjusted the collar of her shirt and her scarf and she ran out of the respawn room. When she finally made it to the front, she found that her team managed to destroy the RED Engie's nest without her help. Good. She could focus on people rather than contraptions. 

She managed to pull off a few backstabs here and there and gunned down many of her enemies. 

"Spook, d'you know where their Sniper is?"

"Yes, at the window at the top of the barn tower."

"Oh roight, I'll move and take him do-ARGH!"

Her heart stopped and her feet too. Before she knew it, she had spun on her heels and was running back to where Sniper had been. Her teammates gave her a funny look and even spy-checked her. Why would she run back with such a determined look on her face? She looked like she was about to shred everything around her.

She took a flight of stairs up and stopped sharp at the sight of her friend's lifeless body on the floor.

"L'enfoiré, si je l'attrape, je le descends."

[The bastard, if I catch him, I'll gun him down.]

She was out of breath and was trying to catch a bit of air and calm her heart. But her breathing was too loud and she didn't hear the flick of the metal blade behind her…

_ Click. _

"Ah le fils d'enfoiré de-"

[Ah the son of a bastard of-]

"Language, Prince!"

Sniper was at spawn and exchanged his jarate for the razorback. Spy froze and looked around her. Sniper hid his hand with his hat and pointed up on the ceiling. Her eyes followed the direction of his index finger and she saw one of the Administrator's cameras. 

"Oh…"

Sniper had called her 'Prince' and not 'Princess' because of the camera. She smiled and lowered her head when the realisation hit her. 

"Merci mon ami. And please excuse my language."

[Thanks my friend.]

"I will, if we find that bastard and slice'im!" 

"Deal!"

They both exited the spawn. Spy accompanied her friend to his nest. While they were at spawn, their team had made a bit of progress and the cart was closer to the last checkpoint. 

"Hey, Spook."

She turned her back.

"Oui?"

"Thank you."

"What for?"

"Comin' after me. That's how he got you roight? You came after me and you found him on your way to where I was?"

She lowered her head. 

"Don't thank me. You should actually tell me off."

"Wha-why?"

"I shouldn't have come running like I did."

"Why?"

"Because now he knows."

"He knows what?"

"That-"

_ "YOU WIN!" _

The  _ sweet a _ nd  _ melodious  _ voice of the administrator erupted in the conversation like a volcano. It deafened them as they were standing right next to one of the loud speakers and they both grimaced. They made their way back to the base without sharing a word.

_ \-- The next day, Saturday -- _

"Can you take me to town this weekend Lawrence?"

"Sure, I was gonna ask you."

"Oh?"

"Yeah I wanted to go somewhere. I'm sick of this place, I need to see something else."

"Fancy coming along shopping with me?"

The Australian stared at his friend. 

"You sure you wanna…?"

"Oui, a bit of company won't hurt."

"If that's fine with you, then I'll come."

" _ Très bien." _

_ [Very well.] _

Both finished their cup of coffee while continuing their chat in front of the kitchen window. 

"Spook?"

"Hm?"

"Have you always wanted to be a spy?"

"Well, have  _ you _ always wanted to be a sharpshooter?"

"I didn't have much choice." The Australian answered before taking another sip of his coffee. "See, I was bad at school, I didn't see the point of it and didn't like it."

Spy smiled. 

"My parents have a farm and I couldn't see how going to school would help you with chickens and geese."

"Fair enough."

"But my dad showed me how to fish and hunt, and guess what? Turned out I wasn't too bad a shot. So as soon as I could, I dropped school and took up hunting. Animals first, pest control contracts almost, and then men."

"How did you make the jump between animals and men? You say it as if it was easy but killing a man is a whole different world from killing a beast, however wild it may be."

"True, but I started by hunting those who hunted wildlife illegally."

Spy's eyebrows jumped in surprise.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Pest control is one thing, poaching is another. Also, most of the time on my contracts, I would put the beast to sleep and get it somewhere far from human contact. I'd rarely kill it, only if I had no other choice."

"A hunter who defends animals? Quite unusual."

Sniper smiled. 

"Yeah, if you put it like that… I can't kill an animal for no reason. When I go and spend time in the desert, I'd kill for food and not more than I can have. But that's about it."

Spy was left thoughtful. A man paid and trained to kill who held back on the trigger…? Of course, she knew how hard it was to kill, the guilt, the remorse of having done something that you can't come back and change, or repair. However, paradoxically enough, once someone was given a gun and the crosshair aligned with a target, pulling the trigger was the easiest and most effortless thing to do. And the ecstatic feeling of power right after, as one sees the very life of his enemy, his vital essence, leave their body; there was something intoxicating about it and it would put one on a high that very few experience ever in their lives: the feeling of playing God. Non, the feeling of  _ being _ God. As heady as it was, that surge of adrenaline, one's heart skipping a beat, pupils dilated,  _ that _ was the deadly part of killing someone.

She thought about it again. The surge of adrenaline, one's heart skipping a beat, pupils dilated.

_ Ah. _

She smiled to herself and finished her coffee. 

"Shall I meet you in say 10 minutes in your van?"

"Works fer me."

"Très bien, see you in 10 then."

[Very well.]

"Okay."

The masked lady went back to her room, brushed her teeth and arranged herself. She tapped her pockets to check that she had everything she needed. 

She went to knock on the van's door. 

"C'me in, Princess!"

She pulled the door and entered the van. 

"Ready?"

"Yeah, let's hop on at the front."

A couple minutes after that, they were on the road towards the town.

"Spook?"

"Oui?"

"You didn't answer me."

"About what?"

"If you'd always wanted to be a spy."

"Not really. But let's not go there if you don't mind."

Sniper looked at his friend.

"Sorry Spook."

"Leila."

"Whot?"

"My name."

" _ Layla?" _

"Oui, you pronounce it almost in the Arabic way, it's nice."

"It's a beautiful name, Spook, exotic too."

She smiled. 

"Thank you, I like your name too."

"Bah, it's quite common. And it's old too, I don't like it that much."

"Do you have a nickname maybe?"

"Not really, apart from Snoop that is…"

Spy looked around, thoughtful. The roar from the engine has melted with the background and her eyes followed the electric lines through the window. 

"Had you been French, your name would have been  _ Laurent, _ and your most usual nickname,  _ Lolo." _

"Lolo?"

"Oui."

"Sounds weird."

"Others would say it's cute."

"Do  _ you _ have a nickname?"

"Some people call me Lili instead of Leila."

"So that makes us Lili and Lolo?"

"I guess so."

Their eyes met for an instant and they burst out laughing. 

"I don't like it, Spook, sorry."

"I never said I did like it. And please don't go around calling me that."

"Nah, you'll stay Princess or Spook."

"I like them much better."

"So you like being called 'Princess' after all eh?"

"Hey, non, that's not what I mean-"

"Uh, uh, uh! You just admitted it, Spook!"

Sniper raised his index waving it left and right. And off they went to more banter. The morning and the road were both clear. The sky was light blue infinite blanket, the ground, a white one only cut through by the black line of the asphalt on which the mercenaries were driving. 

After a couple of hours in the van, they crossed the city's doors. Sniper let his friend guide him wherever she wanted to go. She lead him until they arrived in a parking lot. 

"Here we are, you can park here."

"Roight."

As Lawrence parked the van, he looked in the inside rear view mirror and his eyebrows jumped. He looked different. Spy undid her seatbelt and exited the van, stretching her back and legs. But Sniper stayed inside. He removed his aviator glasses and stared at himself. His mother was right, when he was happy, it really showed on his face. His cheeks were pink with all the laughter, the lines on his face seemed to all smile in unison, making him seem delighted rather than old and burnt by the sun. 

The sound of the passenger's door opening broke his train of thought.

"Snoop? Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah, yeah sorry."

His seatbelt clicked opened and he exited the van too. 

"So, where are you takin' me?"

"Follow me and you'll see."

It was a supermarket, quite fancy judging by the price of things.

"It's products that are imported from where they originally come from. But I usually go for the local products."

"Is that why those veggies are so expensive?"

"Oui, partly. Also, they are sold at such a price that guarantees that the farmer gets properly paid."

"Oh…"

Sniper knew all too well that supermarkets tended to sell agricultural goods at a ridiculous price. And of course, the money they cut off wasn't their own share, but the one that would go back to the farmer's pocket. 

"Makes sense actually…"

"Oui, I think it does."

Spy was very efficient when taking what she needed. She didn't like to spend too much time in the aisles. Only when she was at the vegetables and fruits did she spend a bit more time. 

"You take a lot of time when you choose yer stuff."

"A good meal starts with good ingredients, Sniper."

He stopped talking and put his hands in his pockets. He went to have a look at the selection of fruits. From a distance, he stared at her. She was frowning and looked very focused on an… orange. She held it in her hand and then put it back away. Sniper raised an eyebrow but soon his eyes snapped wide. She removed her right hand glove and took the orange in her hand again. She raised it to her nose and put it away. The marksman watched her do it a couple more times and put some of them in her basket. She did it again with the apples and pears. 

"Sorry, Sir, d'you mind…?"

"Oh, sorry mate."

Sniper had been standing in front of the balance and he hadn't people were queuing behind him. They had got quite angry, seeing how he was just planted there and prevented everyone from accessing the balance. The sharpshooter apologised profusely and joined back with his friend. 

"Erm, Princess?"

She looked up at him. She had been so focused on her hunt for fruits that she had almost forgotten about him. But when she raised her eyes, she saw that he was looking away from her. 

"Oui? Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah, your hand though…"

She looked at her hand.

"Oh, the glove you mean? You may look, I wear gloves mainly to not leave fingerprints."

"You sure?"

"Of course...

He lowered his eyes and stared at her hand. Her fingers were slim and long. Her skin was the same colour as the coffee she liked to drink, light brown because of the milk. She was wearing a dark red nail polish.

"... Although, I also wear them to hide my nail polish too. Sorry about the wait. We may go now if you want, I am done here."

His eyes were still on her hand. She saw it and didn't know how to react. 

"Lawrence?"

He didn't even blink. 

_ "My eyes are up here, darling!" _

She said it quite loud and when the meaning and the innuendo hit the Australian in his mind, he turned red as a brick.

"Oi! Why d'you say that! I wasn't starin' at yer… y'know! I was-! Ugh… Screw you, Spook!"

She started walking towards the cashier with a smug smile on her lips. People around them gave Sniper the weirdest looks. He walked slightly behind her, his back hunched slightly and pushing his hat deeper on his head to hide his shame and blush.

"My apologies mon ami, but I did call you and you didn't flinch."

The Australian growled for an answer. She paid what she owed and he helped her carry her groceries to the van. 

"Lawrence?"

"Yeah?"

Sniper fastened his seatbelt. 

"Don't buckle up so fast, mister."

"Huh?"

"Come follow me. I need to take you somewhere."

"Oh, uh, roight."

The taller man exited the van and walked fast to catch up with his friend. 

"Wait fer me eh!"

"You've got longer legs, you'll catch up." She said, smirking.

The Australian had no idea why he was following her and where but she invited him with such a confident voice, one that leaves no place for doubts or negociations.

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading!

Let me know what you thought of this one :) 

See you!

  
  
  
  
  
  



	10. Chapter 10

"Where are you takin' me?"

"You'll see." 

Both mercenaries walked along on the pavement, crossing a few times. When she finally stopped, they were both standing in front of a dark blue facade. 

"Follow me."

She entered and he followed her in. 

"Spook…"

He looked around. Saying that the place was fancy was the understatement of the century. Dark blue velvet draped walls, Burgundy red seats and golden chair frames. Sniper took his first step in and stopped sharp at the sound of his heeled boots on the ground. He looked down and could almost see his reflection on the blue marble tiles. He removed his hat and held it close on his chest. He raised his eyes to the ceiling. Sniper was a tall man but there was something he never understood: who the hell needed ceilings that high up?! 

The chandeliers were impressive in their golden tint and their size. The ceiling had Navy blue panes of velvet hanging off of it elegantly with golden embroidered fleur-de-lis.

"Bonsoir. Une table pour deux s'il vous plaît, j'avais réservé au nom de Rêve."

[Good evening. A table for two please, I had booked in advance with the name Rêve.]

Spy's voice broke Sniper's observation of his surroundings for a bit. The man behind the small high desk looked in the book in front of him and nodded. 

"Bonsoir Madame, Monsieur. Si vous voulez bien vous donner la peine de me suivre…"

[Good evening Madam, Sir. If you would please follow me…]

The dining area was quite spacious such that the tables were far enough from each other. Now that Sniper looked at the customers here and there, he saw men in dark, elegant suits and ladies in evening dress, matching hats and richly shining with jewellery, glittering from their fingers, arms, ears and exposed neck.

The Australian gulped down hard. 

"Voilà."

[Here you are.]

The waiter pulled Spy's chair for her to sit down and Sniper took a seat on the table, in front of her. He watched as the waiter removed the long dark blue coat she was wearing off her shoulders. 

_ Oh… _

She was wearing a suit but that one was much more… feminine. It was cut in such a way that one could clearly tell she was a woman, even if she was still wearing her mask.

The waiter then gave them each a menu and left. Spy thanked him and opened the Burgundy red, leather menu in front of her eyes.

"Spook?"

"Hm?"

Sniper was whispering which prompted her to lower the menu just enough to see her friend. He looked left and right. 

"What the hell is this place?"

She smiled.

"It's a restaurant, Lawrence. Have you never been in one before?"

He rolled his eyes up. 

"I know it's a restaurant. Why did you bring me here?"

"To thank you."

"Well, a simple 'thanks' would have worked eh…"

"Oh I know. But I wanted to share something I like with you."

"You like overpriced dinner places?"

Sniper could only see her eyes above the edge of the menu and that time,  _ she _ was the one to roll them up. 

"I enjoy food with a certain standard. But that's not only for  _ my _ enjoyment that I brought you here."

"Why then?"

She lowered the menu completely and laid it flat on the table. 

"I thought you might never have travelled much as you like your Australia so much. I thought about preparing a meal myself but then I searched for decent restaurants and this one was recommended to me."

"So?"

"So I want you to try the food from my country as if you were there, in France. See this as a stationary journey. You're travelling but without even moving from this chair."

"What's that mean?"

"This restaurant is as French as it can get, look behind me."

Spy was sitting not far from the wall giving her back to it. On it, hung framed portraits and framed newspaper headlines and as Sniper's eyes travelled along the velvet of the wall, he saw the large paintings. The Eiffel Tower, some big arch, impressive white buildings built in quite a classical style of architecture… He only recognised the Eiffel Tower but he guessed the others were iconic buildings of the French capital or country entirely.

" _ Bienvenu en France mon ami." _

_ [Welcome to France my friend.] _

His eyes landed back on Spy's big black ones. She was smiling warmly, her long dark eyelashes grinning as much as her mouth. And it hit him. The realisation. Even though he was the one who had driven all the way from the base to there, she was the one who made him travel thousands of miles away. His ears pricked up when someone started playing the piano somewhere. He also heard the muffled conversations of the people around him and for the bits he could hear, it was all in French. The smell of cigarettes now tickled his nostrils. He took a deep breath and relaxed. Yes, that restaurant was insanely fancy, but it was a gift from his friend: a trip to France.

"Ah, uh, I mean, uhm…  _ merci?" _

He answered awkwardly and her soft smile widened. 

"That's the spirit! Now, have a look at the menu and choose whatever you fancy. If you want to know a bit more about the dishes, you may ask me of course."

Sniper sighed and his shoulders relax. He was in France with his best mate, having dinner. He gave her a smile and nodded. After a couples of minutes trying to understand the menu (it was all in French) and asking about it, he made up his mind. 

"Oh, by the way do you drink any wine by any chance?"

"It happens, even though I much prefer a good pint of beer."

"Lawrence…!"

She raised an eyebrow. 

"Roight, roight, beer's not fancy enough for the Princess… Go for wine then."

"Just for your notice, I don't drink wine or any alcoholic beverages but I can choose a good one that will go nicely with your meal."

"Oh, nah then. If you don't drink, I won't get any wine."

"Are you sure? I don't mind it if you want to drink."

"Nah, it's only fun when we share it. What will you have to drink?"

"Hm… sparkling water I think. You?"

"Same as you,  _ if that goes well with the meal, hm?" _

"Don't mock me, Snoop!"

He burst out laughing. 

"I'm not, I'm just joking, don't worry."

The waiter came and Spy placed the order with him. When he went away she looked at her friend. 

"Next time,  _ you _ order the food."

"Me?!"

"Hm-mh." She nodded and smirked.

"Well, uh, I only words here and there mate, I can't make entire sentences."

"You need to learn then."

"Do I?"

She nodded. 

"You're in luck, I happen to know a good teacher."

"Oh, uh, Spook, look, I'm bad with languages. I'm bad with anything school-related."

She clicked her tongue.

"So you think despite being a very good teacher yourself. I don't believe you. I bet that with the right teacher you'd be fluent in French in no time."

"Ha! Where am I gonna find that bloke then eh? And takin' lessons is annoying as all hell. Plus, we're in the base all the time and it's very far from town, well, you'll tell me that there are weekends still. But I don't wanna spend my weekends goin' back and forth, sitting down and listenin' to some bloke blabber gibberish in French!"

He raised his eyes to meet hers, she was chuckling. 

"Whot? Why're you laughin' now?"

"And what if I told you that you don't need to move from the base to get your lessons, hm?"

"Even if he came to the base himself. I don't want it."

"You don't want to learn French?"

"Yeah nah, that's not what I said. I mean-oh!"

The waiter had come with the starters. He laid them in front of the mercenaries and left. 

" _ Bon appétit, mon ami!" _

_ [Enjoy your meal, my friend!] _

"Uh,  _ bon appétit _ to you too!"

They both started eating. She had ordered a salad typical from the South-West of France while he chose a fish soup.

"Do you like it?"

"I've never had anything like it, it's really good."

"It's a typical dish from Marseille."

"Where's that?"

"In the South-East. A very sunny city, well-known for its harbour and intense fishing business. Another typical thing from there, people enjoy a particular kind of alcoholic beverage called Pastis."

"Pastis?"

She nodded. 

"Oui, it's made from anis seeds and looks pale yellow."

"Oh, I see… You come from that place?"

"Non, I don't."

"You know an awful lot about it."

"Well I know bits and bobs about my country, it's also part of my job…" 

The sound of forks and spoons now melted with the background, the conversations of the other patrons, the piano in the background. 

"... But let's come back to what we were discussing. Would you like to learn French if it was taught to you on the base?"

Sniper sighed. 

"Spook, I understand you're tryin' fer me but… I know myself. I'm gonna start doin' it and then hate it 'cause… It's not that I don't want to learn it. I'd love to be able to speak two languages like you but it's gonna be awfully painful."

She smirked. 

"Tout ce que tu viens de dire est incroyablement faux."

"Whot?"

She repeated the sentence slowly for him to understand. 

"So you said  _ 'everything you said was incredibly….?' _ , what's that last word?"

"Faux means wrong."

He repeated the word to get the pronunciation right and added:

"So 'everything you just said was incredibly wrong'?"

She nodded. 

"Why d'you say that?!"

"Because, mon cher ami, I don't speak 2 but 4 languages and you just did."

"I did what?"

"You just learnt a new word,  _ faux." _

He smiled. 

"You little devil…!"

"So what do you say to  _ me  _ teaching you, hm? And you can't say it doesn't work, you just repeated a word to remember it."

His smile widened and he shook his head. 

"Bloody hell you're good…!"

She nodded proudly. 

"I know. But that doesn't answer my question."

"Alroight, alroight. I'll try and learn with you then. But don't expect me to sit down and repeat grammar rules and things like that, ok?"

"Did I make you do that?"

"No."

"Well then, we're good and it's a deal, non?"

She removed her glove on her right hand and extended it for him to shake. His eyes went straight to it again and he stared. 

"Scared of my hand? It doesn't bite. It can claw, yes, but not in public Sniper!"

He raised and eyebrow as if to ask her to explain her last sentence but he saw her smile with the most smug grin. And then the innuendo snapped in his head and he turned red as a brick. He took her hand while lowering his head to hide his blush. He shook it firmly and she chuckled. 

"Bloody hell, Spook…!"

He raised his head again and saw her wiggling her eyebrows. 

"I see you're quite sensitive to these jokes."

"Well… Uh, I guess, yeah…"

She put her glove back on and both finished their starters. A waiter came to take the plates away and soon came back with their mains.

"You  _ guess  _ yet you turn the darkest shade of red when I make one, hm?"

They started digging in.

"I just don't expect a sheila to make those kinds of jokes."

"Ah, but look at me. Do you expect  _ a sheila _ to take you to the fanciest place you've ever been? Do you expect  _ a sheila _ to take you to shop with her? Do you expect a lady to work alongside you, as a spy?"

He stared at her and nodded. 

"You have a point. You're a very… uh…  _ unique _ kind of woman."

"Merci."

[Thanks.]

Silence fell for a minute while they appreciated their food. Eventually Spy was the one to break it.

"So, what do you think of the blanquette?"

"It's really good, lots of sauce, I like it. And the bread goes nicely with it. What about your….  _ Thing?" _

"Boeuf Bourguignon, a classic, one of my favourites. It's exquisite. Would you like to try some?"

"Nah, c'mon."

"I don't mind, Sniper. I brought you here to have a new experience. Go ahead, try some."

"You sure it's fine?"

"Oh Lawrence sometimes you're worse than those British men I used to live with! Stop it with the politeness and go ahead!"

"Alroight, alroight, no need to get angry!"

He took a bit of meat from her plate.

"Add the slice of carrot there… oui, and don't forget the sauce!"

He obeyed and put the fork back above his own plate before eating its content. 

"So what do you think?"

"Mmh… It's good… It's beef alroight… And a good quality bit of it. The sauce is very different from mine."

"Indeed, yours is made with crème fraîche, that is a sort of cream if you will, whereas mine is made with red wine."

"Oh, you're gonna end up drunk with that much if it!"

"Ah but that's where you're wrong mon ami! I specifically asked for a de-alcoholised wine."

"A what?!"

"It's wine where you get rid of the ethanol."

"Oh Lord, I had no idea that existed…"

"You're welcome!" 

She said, winking at him. He chuckled and finished his meal, looking around him. That's when it snapped: there wasn't a single child in the room. Non, it was only couples or groups of men who seemed too serious to enjoy their time as much as Sniper. He crossed his feet beneath the table and smiled to himself, without realising it. It was all so foreign to him but at the same time he felt safe and he felt  _ free _ . There he was, with the best friend he's had since a long time, having a good meal. She knew who he was,  _ what _ he was, and yet she hadn't run away. On the contrary, she had stuck with him. At the same time, she knew and respected the Australian's space and wasn't too invasive. The perfect friend in a nutshell.

"Layla?"

She raised her eyes off her plate. It was the first time he called her by her name. 

"Oui?"

" _ Merci beaucoup." _

[Thanks a lot.]

She smiled. 

"C'est moi qui te remercie."

[It's me who is thanking you.]

The waiter came and swiftly took the empty plates away. 

"Devrais-je vous amener la carte des desserts?"

[Should I bring the dessert menu?]

Spy looked at her friend. 

"What do you say Lawrence?"

"Oh I'm not sure I can take it!"

"What if we shared one?"

"Oh then ok, I guess that could work."

The waiter nodded and gave them both the dessert menu before disappearing. Again, the Australian was taken a aback, not because she had suggested they shared a dessert together, but because he had agreed as if they had done that countless times before. 

"What do you say to the Dame Blanche?"

"Uh? Whot's that sorry?"

Her voice broke his train of thought. 

"Would you like to try the Dame Blanche with me?"

"Hm, what's that?"

"It's vanilla ice cream and whipped cream mainly, with chocolate sauce and a cherry on top."

"Sounds nice, let's go for that."

"Great, merci Snoopy."

They pushed the dessert menus away and in a minute, the waiter came to take them and their order. He came back quite quickly with a beautiful high glass. It shone beautifully and the dessert itself looked gorgeous. Now Sniper understood why it was called Dame Blanche,  _ 'White Lady'. _ It indeed looked like an ice-cream lady dressed in a whipped cream white dress, the chocolate sauce shining and reflecting the light from the chandeliers high up above their heads. The cherry on top was bright red and made for a colourful hat on top of the vanilla lady.

"Merci." Sniper nodded to the waiter and the latter left the two friends in peace. 

They shared the dessert from the same glass and they both felt it. They were very good friends, friends who could talk about anything with the respect and ease that one could only share with very few people. 

"Princess?"

"Hm?"

"When we entered the restaurant, you said you had booked it in advance."

"Oui, I've been wanting to take you somewhere for lunch for quite some time now "

"Ah, thanks, but that's not what I was gonna ask."

"Oh, my apologies, pray continue and I shall not interrupt."

"Nah don't worry, it's fine. But yeah, somethin' puzzled me… it's uh.. The name you gave to the waiter,  _ Rêve _ , doesn't that mean  _ 'Dream'  _ in French?"

She looked at him in the eyes. The Australian could have the charm of that grown up man who had the naivety and innocence of a young boy. 

"It does indeed, amongst other things."

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading!

Do let me know what you thought of this one in the comments :) I love reading how people react to my scribbles :) !

See you around for 11!

  
  
  
  
  
  



	11. Chapter 11

Another week and another five days of battles. Although now, the weather was much better. The snow was only a story in the past and the ground found its original orange colour; they were in a dust desert afterall. The puffy coats were stored away as lighter jackets could do. The sky was clear most days and the cacti stood proud here and there. 

That evening, Spy was in her bedroom. She was working on Sniper's request: the torn picture of him and his parents. So far, the rough sketch had been completed and she was getting the proper lines done. A knock on the door surprised her though.

"I'm coming, just a second!"

She was in her dressing gown and light pyjama dress underneath but she knew that knock all too well. She didn't need to change for masculine clothing. She just put her mask on and opened the door, standing hidden behind it in case another mercenary happened to pass by and see her in her red satin dressing gown.

Sniper slipped in and she shut the door. 

"Good evening, Lawrence."

He looked at her and his brain couldn't process anything at all. Of course he knew she was a lady but seeing her in that very feminine attire was such a shock. He was used to seeing her in suits all the time! But now, there she was, in her dressing gown, walking barefoot on the wooden floor, her slim arms and legs showing. 

"Oh, sorry Spook-!"

He turned his back to her. 

"What's the matter with you?"

"Me?!  _ I _ should be the one asking that! I come to see you and you open your door  _ like this!" _

She turned around to face him and he immediately shut his eyes. 

"Oh come on! I'm not naked! Besides, you told me that ladies had no effect on you whatsoever."

"That's not what I said, I said I prefer men. I-I'm just uncomfortable for you."

"For me?"

The taller man removed his glasses from his nose and put a hand in front of his eyes to still hide his friend's sight from him.

"Don't you feel weird standin' dressed like that in front of me?"

"Non, I don't. You're closer to me that most friends I've ever had and even family, Lawrence."

His eyes snapped wide open and he removed his hand, looking down at her. 

"W-what? Really?"

"Of course. Now, come on the sofa."

She took him by his arm and dragged him until he was sitting on it. 

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Ah, yeah, it'd be nice."

"Coffee or tea?"

"Whatever you prefer. Although it's quite late so maybe that herbal tea of yours would be better."

"Alright." 

She readied the kettle and came back to sit next to him. 

"So, what brings you here?"

"Look what my mum sent me, it arrived today."

He opened his vest and uncovered a pack of biscuits.

"Biscuits?"

"Typical bikkies from Oz, Princess!"

"Oh! Can I see?"

"O'course!"

She took the package between her slim fingers and took a close look at it. 

"Wagon wheels?" She read the package.

"Yeah, these are my favourites."

The kettle started whistling..

"Oh, excuse me a minute dear."

"Sure."

She jumped out of the sofa to take care of the tea. His eyes followed her. The Australian thought she was lucky to have such a warm suite. She could go around lightly dressed whereas in his van, the story was wildly different. She hadn't turned on the heaters that much either. The heat was just due to the fireplace in front of the sofa. She made sure that it was never out of wood. She liked it warm in her flat. 

"Et voilà!"

[Here we are!]

She came back with a tray containing the kettle and two mugs. Spy put it on the coffee table and sat down next to her friend. She started pouring the warm liquid. 

"Get yourself comfy, Snoop. You can get rid of that jacket, I'll take it away in a second."

"Oh, thanks."

He obeyed and when she was done serving tea, she took his jacket and hung it. 

"So, Princess, care to try one?"

"Sure! Thank you so much, Lawrence!"

"Bah, it's nothin'."

She took a biscuit and bit in. 

"Mmh… Chocolate?"

"Yeah."

"Cream?"

"Nah, it's marshmallow in the middle actually."

"Oh, it really doesn't taste like it. I hate marshmallow but this tastes less sweet. I like it."

"I'm glad you like it!"

"Thank you, it's very nice of you to share them with me."

"Bah, I might as well share a bit of Australia with you, given that you almost took me to France."

She smiled. 

"True. But I didn't share the food of my country with you as a way to ask you to do the same with me."

"Nah, I know. But I wanted to give back and…"

He stopped to take the mug that his friend was handing him. 

"And?"

"And I was thinking to myself."

"Glad that  _ that _ happens." She said to tease him. 

"Oi, what's that s'pposed to mean eh? I can't think?"

"Oh, dear, you're drawing awfully ridiculous conclusions!" 

He leaned his arm on the sofa's upper edge and she sat back and leaned her head on it.

"Sorry Lawrence, you were saying?"

"Uh… Ah yes, I was thinkin' in me van and uh… I came to realise that there's barely any day that we don't spend together now."

"Indeed… Wait, is this your way of telling me to give you more space?"

"Nah, absolutely not. It's just that I've always been alone, some would even say lonely, or solitary. And now I can't spend a day alone. I feel like everythin's empty, like somethin's missing you know?"

"Ah, but that's what people call friendship, mon ami."

"I guess it is, yeah… Is it the same for you?"

"Sometimes, oui. But now that you give me your side of the story, I can't but feel sorry."

"Why?"

"How come no one before me noticed how good a friend you are?"

"Well, I-uh… I don't know. But I could say the same for you."

"Non, I've had plenty of friends. But you're the one I feel the more free with, because I don't have to hide my job to you."

"Nah, that's not what I meant."

"Oh?"

"I mean, how come there ain't a line of blokes at yer feet?"

She looked at him. 

"Who said there wasn't?"

"Oh…"

She chuckled. 

"Believe me Lawrence, there were many."

"I can believe that alroight. Why are you alone then?"

She sighed. 

"I haven't found what I'm looking for yet."

"What's that?"

She leaned against her friend again. 

"At some point, I thought I had found it. I can't really describe what it is… It's looking up at a man and seeing more than your own reflection in them. It's… It's seeing what you were and what you are, maybe even a little of what you could be, just in his irises, and seeing all those versions of yourself finally making sense."

Sniper had gone silent. The sorrow in Spy's voice drowned the place and put out the heat of the flames from the fireplace. The room had gone cold and silent.

"I don't really understand, but I hope you'll find him."

She sighed again, taking a sip of her tea. 

"Lawrence, my life, like the one of all my fellow spies does not make a shred of sense. You start by doing something and the next day you're asked to completely change. You do it and before you know it, you have to change all your plans and become someone else altogether. It's tiring and it all relies on one thing."

He looked at her with question marks in his eyes. 

"That you never ask who you truly are..."

"Oh."

"...Because the minute you do it, you realise that not only you don't know, but there's also no way of finding out. You're every single person you've played and none of them at the same time because you  _ precisely played  _ them. Non, being a spy is a curse that I wish to no one."

"Why did  _ you _ choose it then? You had no other choice?"

"Pfff… Non, I actually made the conscious and informed decision of walking up to the Ministry of Defense, working my hardest to pass the exams and indeed passed them."

She paused to catch her breath and stared at the cold flames in the fireplace. She couldn't look her friend in the eye. 

"I… I needed a job. My mother was struggling to make ends meet with us three kids. So I started looking and found an opportunity in a bar, as a waitress. There used to be a man who would come regularly, not every evening but almost so. It was a tough job, Lawrence. Serving men to drink and lose their manners while being a young girl of my…"

She hesitated. 

"... _ complexion _ ."

Sniper understood what she meant. Over the last hundred years or so, the world had been rocked right and left but the stupidity of man remained. To that day, seeing someone different would provoke fear and entail hatred. It was what it was and neither the sharpshooter nor the secret agent could do anything about it. However, sometimes, the fear of the unknown, of the one who is different actually hides a magnetic attraction to it.  _ That _ was what Spy meant. She was young and looked exotic so to they eye of a drunk man, she was attractive in the same way that a burger and some fries were to the hungry man. 

"It was a horrible job. Countless times they tried having their way with me and they did manage at first. Until some day I thought that it was enough. I would rather get beaten up and left for dead in the street rather than have one more of them touch me again. So I started by asking them to stop, politely. Of course you can't reason a drunken wretch of a man so they wouldn't listen, thinking that maybe I was playing hard to get. They insisted and I did the same and it escalated until one of them held me by my wrist and threw me on the floor."

Sniper grimaced and made a disgusted face.

"Look, Leila, I'll never let anyone do half of a hundredth of that, to you, you hear me?"

She softened a bit. 

"I know Lawrence, and I thank you. But now I know how to defend myself, unlike back then. I was on the floor and a couple of that man's friends joined in. I thought they would…"

"You don't need to say it, I get it. I'm sorry that happened to you, you don't deserve it. No one does."

She nodded, still not looking at him in the eye.

"Oui, it's true. But that's not what they did. Instead, they beat me up. Some knelt down to punch me, the others still standing to kick me. I took as much as I could in, but it was hell to go through. One man stood up though. They ganged up against him, 4 to 1, but in no time they were all on the floor, half of them unconscious and the others in too much pain to be able to move. That man then offered to help me stand up."

"Who was he, d'you know?"

"Marc, the man who would later become my instructor."

"Oh, so that's how you became a spy. You got hired by your instructor. Seems realistic enough."

"Non, on the contrary. This is everything but how you recruit a spy."

"Is it?"

"Of course! Spies don't go around trying to recruit random people!"

"So why did he try it with you?"

She sighed. 

"And that I guess I'll never know. But he offered to train me and the job paid loads, so I accepted and…"

"And?"

"And thought I would surprise my mother with my new job. The rest of the story you know…"

"Hm… How is she managing with your siblings?"

"She found a good bloke to help her."

"Oh…"

Silence fell as they finished their herbal tea. Sniper felt bad, awfully so for his dear friend. Life had thrown all kinds of obstacles at her face, some were blunt, others sharp. But she had survived them all and here she was, a proud and beautiful woman.

"I'm here for you now, Leila."

"Merci mon ami."

[Thank you my friend.]

"Y'know, I don't have brothers or sisters but if I ever had one, I wish they could be like you and I'd let no one lay a finger on your head."

She chuckled. 

"Don't worry now, I'm fine, I think you of all people know that I can manage well on my own."

She raised her eyes and looked at him but he was far from smiling like she was. The story got to him, deeply, and it showed. 

"I'm so sorry fer you. I wish I could have been there, I wish I-"

"Hey…?"

He looked at her. 

"I appreciate what you say Lawrence but don't take it too hard. What happened, happened. We can't do anything to change it and now I'm safe."

"Yeah…"

She wanted to brighten up the mood again. And to be honest, that's why she didn't like bringing her story up. She knew it killed any good atmosphere. Her eyes went down on the sofa and she got an idea. 

"More  _ bikkies?" _

He visibly got surprised and turned to look at her. 

"What?"

"Isn't that how you called them?"

The Australian couldn't hold it back and burst out laughing.

"Hahahahaaaa!"

"Why are you mocking me now?!"

"Please never say that word again!"

"Why?!"

"With yer accent it sounds weird and hilarious!"

"Hey! I'm making an effort to speak in your language, Snoop!"

"Oh I went from Lawrence to Snoop now, didn't I?"

"Yes you did, and you deserve it for laughing at me like that!"

"Oh c'mon Princess, you know I'm jokin'!"

"I bloody well hope you are! Now if you don't want any of your  _ bikkies _ , I'll have one more if that's fine with you!"

"Be my guest!"

They spent the entire evening and a good part of the evening together, with the biscuits and the fireplace. As the hours passed, the shared more about themselves and as the tiredness caught up with them, their tongues untied more. 

"Tomorrow's Sunday roight?"

"Oui."

"I'll take you somewhere for lunch."

"Oh? You don't have to."

"Nah but i want to. The biscuits were only the beginning of  _ your _ trip to Australia."

"Hm… I like where this is going, Headshot Man…!"

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading! I hope you liked this one.

Don't hesitate to leave a comment, it boosts me up to continue writing :)!

See you!


	12. Chapter 12

"Mornin' Princess."

"Bonjour!"

She closed the kitchen door behind her. 

"You woke up early despite the late night we had?" She asked.

The Australian was drinking his coffee. His eyes followed her movements as she prepared some for herself.

"Yeah… I always wake up early, whatever the time I go to sleep."

"So do I."

She mixed the sugar in her coffee and stood next to her friend in front of the window. 

"Slept well, Spook?"

"Oui, I think I did."

"No more nightmares about the other spy?"

"Non. It was only a one-off it seems."

"Told ya, it's only 'cause you were surprised to meet him."

"Yes, I think you're right."

They stared at the horizon. The sun was up and the desert glowed in bright orange. 

"So, up to come to Australia?"

"Of course! I've never been there but I'd love to. It seems to be a beautiful place, from what I've heard of it."

"Yeah, it's gorgeous… Ready in 10 in my van?"

"Actually, do you mind if we have dinner rather than lunch there? I have some things I need to do in my room this morning."

"Oh sure. Just come to me van when you feel like going ok?"

"Will do, thanks Snoop."

He smiled.

" 'pleasure."

_ \-- Spy's room -- _

Spy spent her entire morning tidying up and cleaning. Not that her flat was particularly messy or dirty but she liked it neat and spotless. She also dealt with the laundry - something she could not hate more.

The afternoon she first spent cleaning her bathroom and then her kitchen. When she finally finished her chores, she took a satisfied look at her flat and proudly smiled. She hated cleaning as much as the next person but she absolutely loved seeing her territory being spotless.

"Ah…"

She sighed in relief and looked at her watch. Time for a shower and she'll go to Sniper's.

_ \-- Sniper's van -- _

There was an almost too familiar knock. He recognised it instantly. 

"Come in!"

She did so and quickly closed the door behind her. 

"Hey Lawrence, oh, am I interrupting something?"

She found him surrounded by a mess of clothes and knick-knacks. 

"Y-yeah, nah, I was just tidyin' up is all…"

She bent her head on the side and raised an eyebrow.

"It seems like you're doing the exact opposite of that,  _ mon ami. _ "

[My friend.]

"Really?" He innocently asked. 

She rolled her eyes up with a smile and started helping him. 

"Lawrence, when people tidy up their belongings…"

She folded the t-shirts and trousers spread here and there and handed them to him, for him to put in his small cupboard.

"...Their room or flat usually goes from a disordered state, to an ordered one…"

He kept on taking what she was handing him and sorting it out. 

"Now the fact that I've never seen your van so untidy tells me that you were lying to me."

"But-"

"Shush!" She raised her index and continued passing on the final bits of clothing lying around as she continued her speech.

"On the other hand, when one's room goes from tidy, or relatively so, to highly disordered, that can only mean one thing."

He stopped and looked at her. 

"You, Monsieur Lawrence…" She pointed at him with her gloved hand. "You were looking for something and you still haven't found it!"

"Ah, bugger…" He rolled his eyes up. "Can't hide anything from you now can I?"

"Non, you can't! I know you like my pocket!"

" _ Like my pocket?" _

"Yes, isn't that a phrase in English?"

The Australian burst out laughing. 

"Hahahahaa! Nah, you must be gettin' it confused with French!"

"Ah, merde…! Anyway, what were you looking for?"

"My camera, and I've found it! Here it is!"

He brandished the small object proudly. 

"What are you going to do with it?"

"This!"

He snapped a picture of his friend and the flash caught her by surprise, blinding her slightly. She put her hands in front her face and blinked repeatedly. 

"Lawrence!"

He burst out in laughter and took the picture that swiftly exited the polaroid.

"What!? Come here, now, let's take one together!"

He curled an arm around her shoulders and turned the camera to take a picture of them both. When it rolled out of the polaroid, he shook it. She was still against his chest, she turned to look at it with him. They were grinning the biggest, brightest smiles...

\--

The engine's roar had disappeared and melted into the background. The sky was quite dark and the moon was starting to show.

"So, you're taking me to an Australian restaurant?"

"Yeah. A proper cosy place."

"Oh so you didn't like the restaurant I took you to?"

"Oh nah, that's not what I meant. I- uh… It was a first fer me."

"What? A French restaurant?"

"Yeah… That, and someone actually takin' me to one…"

"Have you never had dates before?"

"N-not really."

"Ah, so you're the type to get your conquests in bars and the like, hm?"

"W-well… Sort of, yeah… I find it much easier to talk to someone after a few pints."

She smiled. 

"You should try and get someone who's sober. You might find that the adventures might be more meaningful with them, and more durable."

"Yeah, you're right, I know. But it's hard to go to a bloke and talk to him out of the blue… You're lucky you're a sheila. Men just take the first step to you."

"Yes and no. They usually do, oui, but I am a woman of my own and I like to take the first step when I'm interested in someone."

"Really?" The Australian's eyebrows jumped.

"It makes sense non? Why should it be the man when  _ I'm _ the one interested? Non. If I want someone, I go and try to get them."

"I wish more people would think like you."

"I know…"

He looked at her.

"Non, I'm not being arrogant this time. After all, you did say that you wished you had a sister like me."

"Yeah… And absolutely, I wish I did."

The road trip was as long as usual and the banter they had helped shorten the duration of it.

"Spook?"

"Oui?"

"Have you ever had pets at home?"

"Non, unfortunately. My job requires that I move too much to be able to provide for an animal."

"Ah, fair…"

"What about you?"

"Yeah I do, back home. My parents have a farm so I've always lived surrounded by chicken and geese."

"Those are hardly pets  _ per se. _ "

"Yeah, but we do have a few of cats."

"Do they get along with the chicken?"

"Now, yeah. But I remember when they were younger it was hard to keep them off of them."

"Ah, that had to be expected I guess. Kittens are often very curious."

"Yeah… We have a dog too, helps keep the chickens and geese safe. You never know what goes around the farm."

"I guess so, oui. You like farming?"

"I love it. I've always loved taking care of animals. I think they're much easier than people."

"Why?"

"They don't judge you. If you treat them right, they do too, and they're very friendly and affectionate, unlike people sometimes."

"Hm, true."

"Also, they don't care what you look like, or what you're wearin', what car you're drivin' or how big your house is. They don't care that you live with yer parents either."

Sniper sighed. 

"I wish animals could speak. I would have a lot more friends if they did!"

"Ah, they don't speak, oui, but they do communicate and I'm sure you understand each other non?"

"Yeah, we kinda do. But it'd be nice if I could talk to them about anything and have  _ their _ opinion. It'd be interesting."

"No doubt. But I don't know if that's what you need."

"What d'you mean?"

"If you talked to a chicken, I'm pretty sure their only answer would be to ask for food. Chickens aren't the brightest!"

Sniper laughed. 

"Ah, yeah, you're right."

"I think talking to an animal is therapeutic indeed, but not because you talk to  _ someone else _ . Non, it is soothing for the nerves because, in the end, you're talking  _ to yourself _ . Thus, you're forcing yourself to face your own thoughts and words. You're putting words on it and hearing yourself say it. Now you're the witness and the culprit of these thoughts."

Sniper remained silent for a while. 

"What you just said…"

"Oui?"

"It's so true it almost hurts."

"Pardon, mon ami. I didn't intend to harm you in any way."

"Nah, nah you didn't do anything wrong. Also, we're arriving, look there!"

Indeed they could now see the city growing in the distance as they drove towards it. 

"Is it far this restaurant?"

"Nah, not that much. It's on the other side of the river though."

"Ah, right."

They entered the city and Sniper slowed down. The crossed it from west to east and they drove through one of the bridges across the river. 

"It should be after these couple of streets. There should be a small parking lot, hopefully there'll be some space for the van…"

And they were in luck! They parked the van and Sniper lead the way inside. 

"Oh…"

The inside was all wooden: the floor, the walls, the tables and chairs. But they were all different kinds of wood, different colours and tints, it made for a beautiful and rustic place. There was a counter which divided the spacious place in a pub area, and a dining one. 

"Hey mate. Table for two, name's Jones."

"Sure, follow me."

As they followed the waiter, Spy's eyes scanned every square inch of space. She noted the head trophies on the wall, the posters of different generations of the national rugby team, the large photos of the beach and coast. The music was very relaxing too. It sounded like country music to her. 

"Is this table alroight?"

"Yeah, perfect mate, cheers."

"Here, the menus… Right, I'll be back in a bit, that's okay?"

"Sure, cheers."

They both sat down and Spy was still looking around her. For a completely wooden room, it was quite bright! The front windows were large and as she looked up, she saw a lot of lightbulbs scattered across the room. The ceiling was painted in black which somehow gave the impression, along with the lights, that they were under the starry sky itself. 

"So, Princess, this time it's my turn to tell you: if you wanna know more about the food, just ask."

"Fone, thank you."

She took the menu in her hand and smiled to herself. The tablecloth was with white with red chequered motifs. It almost looked like they were going to share a picnic. 

"Hm… I think I'll take the chicken parmiggiana."

"Good choice, Spook. I'll go with the barramundi."

"The what?"

He raised his eyes from the menu and looked at her. 

"It's a kind of fish we have. Looks like a sea bass a bit."

"Exotic name for a fish  _ barrami-  _ uh,  _ barra- _ what is it again?"

He laughed.

"Barramundi. It's the Aboriginal name for it but we kept it."

"Oh, I see… And what would you recommend with my parmiggiana, I mean drink-wise?"

"Depends, still no alcohol?"

"No alcohol please."

"Roight, is a soda alright then? You could try a typical one?"

"Ah, yes! That sounds exciting!"

"Hm…"

Sniper's eyes glided on the drinks section of the menu. 

"You like passionfruit?"

"I've rarely had it."

"Really?"

"Oui, but I like it, for the few occasions I was lucky enough to have it."

"Roight, then go for a Passiona. It's a passionfruit based soda, very Australian. I don't think they have it anywhere else, certainly not in Europe."

"Fine, I'll trust you for this!"

The waiter came and took their order. 

"So, what d'you think of the place, Princess?"

"It's very like you, I like it."

"Oh, what's that mean?"

"It's beautiful in its rustic style, a very cosy place indeed."

Sniper gave her an honest smile. 

"I'm glad you like it.

"Thank you, Snoopy."

"Pleasure's mine, Princess."

Their order arrived and they started digging in. 

"Mmh, this chicken parmiggiana is really good Snoop!"

"Ah, see? Not only the frogs can cook, eh!"

"Hey! You wild kangaroo, I never said that!"

He winked at her and she smiled. 

"How is your fish?"

"Quite good, wanna try some?"

"Thank you very much but I will let you enjoy your meal."

Sniper raised his head off his plate and stared at his friend. 

"Spook…?"

"Hm?"

"C'mon, I did try yer Beef Whatever-The-Name when you took me to your place, so you gotta try my fish here."

She laughed. 

"First, it's  _ Boeuf Bourguignon _ . And second, thank you very much…"

Her fork hovered across the table and landed on his plate. He cut a bit of the fish and pushed it towards her. 

"Get some of the veggies and the sauce too… Roight, now try it and tell me."

She followed her friend's instructions and closed her time to focus on the taste. 

"So?"

"You were right, it tastes very much like sea bass. The sauce is very similar to an  _ Hollandaise _ , it goes nicely with it, and the carrot's taste is quite strong. Sniper, this place is quite incredible."

"Oh, why?"

"I would have thought you would have taken me to a more… uh… to another kind of establishment, a pub maybe? But  _ this _ , what i taste her is very good from what I would have expected!"

"Never judge a book by its cover! I came here once, a bit by chance and I thought was very good, almost as good as my mum's. That's how I knew it was really good."

Spy smiled.

"Whot?" The Australian asked. 

"You do love your family a lot, it's charming and touching."

He blushed. 

"Well, uh, I mean, o'course…"

She chuckled. 

"I'm glad I've met you, Lawrence."

"Same."

They finished their meal and were quite full so both agreed to come back another day to get the dessert. This time, Sniper paid for them both. 

"Nah, Spook, I won't let you pay this time!"

"Let us split then, non?"

"Nah, last time you paid. Now it's my turn!"

She yielded to not make him angry. It also made her delighted to see how proud he was to pay for both of them. If she was the first person to take him to a restaurant, it was no doubt also the first time he paid a proper meal for two. And indeed, it filled him with joy. He felt all kinds of new things sparkling inside him. He had a friend now, a very good one. They were going to places together, enjoying good meals, sharing what they liked, spending their weekends together. It felt great, he wasn't alone anymore, he had her. 

Sniper was done paying and both made a move to exit the restaurant. But a man bumped onto Spy and pushed her to exit first. Sniper saw it and didn't lose a second. 

"Oi! Watch where you're goin' mate!"

The sharpshooter put his hands on his colleagues shoulders and took a step forward to stand between Spy and that man. The passer-by grumbled and, putting a hand on his hat, he pushed the door and exited the restaurant first. 

"Some people, I swear…"

"Don't worry, Snoop. Let him go."

The Australian had started walking after the man in the long black coat but his friend put a firm hand on his arm and pulled him back.

"Roight, roight, let's go back to the van before I catch him."

"Pff, you wouldn't hurt a fly!"

Spy clung to her friend's arm to prevent him from going after that unknown man.

"Oi, there's no reason to hurt any flies but this bloke just gave me a good one to go after'im!"

She managed to pull him all the way to the van. 

"Don't let him spoil our Sunday, please Lawrence."

"Ah, you're roight."

She let go of his arm and he got the keys out of his pocket. He unlocked the van and hopped in. 

"So, back to the base?"

"Oui, s'il te plaît. I feel like I need a nap after this!"

[Yes, please.]

Sniper started the engine and when he heard the click of his friend's seatbelt, he pushed the handbrake down and off they went. When they passed the city's limits, the Australian pushed his foot down the gas pedal and both leant back in their seats. 

"I didn't picture you like the protective type." Spy said, breaking the silence. 

"What?"

"It's very nice of you to intervene, but I never thought you would."

"You mean to stop that bloke?"

She nodded. 

"If you had left me, I would have made him apologise."

"And if I was as bothered as you are about it, he wouldn't be found by all the police forces in the world!"

He turned his head and looked at her with eyes bigger than plates. 

"Spook?!"

"It's true! But apparently I can't go around killing whoever does as much as look at me the wrong way… What kind of society is this?"

She smiled at him. 

"Oh, roight, yeah. Y'know, same fer me, eh!"

"Really?"

"Well if you had let me, his skull would have been turned into a colander by now…!"

"I don't think so, my dear Lawrence."

" _ I beg yer pardon, dear?  _ Are you saying I would fail to do it?" 

Sniper put his hand on his chest comically and exaggerated the offense. He also tried to put on a posh accent, but at that game, Spy proved to beat him easily.

"My dear Lawrence, pray exercise extreme caution when I speak. I am only hinting at the obvious. See, if you did indeed shoot the poor fellow repeatedly, his cranium would then resemble more a hedgehog rather than a sieve."

The Australian burst into laughter.

"How the bloody hell can you talk like this and keep a straight face, Spook?! Also, you're damn good at bein' posh, you win! I can't even understand half the things you said!"

She smirked proudly. 

"Ha! You might be a native speaker of English, but  _ I _ have had the odd privilege of swimming into posh English more than you could imagine!"

"Roight, roight, no need to show off!"

They made it back to the base at a very advanced hour of the night after the usual road trip which, they both appreciated, was getting shorter and shorter the more their friendship deepened. All in all, they spent a wonderful weekend that would leave sweet memories. But for now, they had to prepare the upcoming week. Although, no amount of preparation could prepare them for what would come. 

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading! 

As always, don't hesitate to share what you think of this chapter and story so far :) It's always a delight to read how people receive my scribbles! :) 

See you!

  
  
  



	13. Chapter 13

Monday morning. The air was fresh and the sun shone brightly. Spy tapped her pockets with her gloved hands. 

_ Revolver, cigarette case, knife and… _

She pulled her left sleeve a bit.

_ Watch. Right, everything is here. _

She took a last look at her naked face in the mirror she had put on the wall next to her front door, and put on her mask. She was good to go now, thus she exited her flat and headed for the spawn room. 

"I'm sure they'll show up at some point right?"

As Spy walked in, she realised all her teammates were already there and stuck at the gates, looking intensely at the other side. It was Demo's voice that she had heard saying that. 

"Negatory. There is no visual on the enemy. Ladies, this is another strategy altogether!" Soldier exclaimed. 

"Even if they were right in front of ya, you wouldn't see them with your helmet like dat!" Scout answered. 

"Is strange." 

Heavy's deep voice cut everyone's speech short.

"Gentlemen, what is the problem?"

They all turned and grouped in the spawn room. 

"Well, have a look fer yerself, Spook. There's no REDs." Sniper said.

"What?!"

"Ja. And as Heavy said, it's very strange." Medic put a hand on his chin and his eyebrows frowned. 

"Hey, fellas, no need to worry. Maybe they'll take a minute more or two. Let's just wait it out."

They looked at each other and silently agreed that Engie was right. Scout took his baseball out of his locker and sat down in front of a wall, throwing it repeatedly and catching it again. Engie took his guitar out and sat on a bench. He started playing while Pyro sat in front of him, on the ground, cross-legged, giggling and clapping his hands. Demo sat next to Engie and while he was busy with his drink, his American friend stood at attention next to the bench. Spy and Sniper stood a bit further, leaning against the metallic gates. 

"Bit unusual this mornin', eh?"

"Oui. It seems the entire RED team is late."

"To be fair, we're fighting closer to our base than theirs. I reckon Engie's roight. They're gonna show up in a minute."

Spy took a look at her watch. 

"Hm. I hope so. The Administrator will not tolerate them being late. Also, it is highly unlikely that  _ all _ of them are late."

"How long till the mission starts?"

"2 minutes."

"Hm…"

Sniper looked through the gate and Spy stared at him. 

"Whose turn is it for dishes tonight?"

"I believe it is yours, Snoop."

"Ah, bugger…"

"I will help you, don't worry."

"Cheers, Spook, but you don't have to."

She raised her eyes to him and raised an eyebrow…

"Alroight, alroight, you  _ want _ to help me wash the dishes for some reason, okay, I got it! No need to look at me like that!"

"You know why."

They exchanged a conniving smile.

"Yeah, cheers."

"Let's join the others."

"Yeah."

The two of them grouped up with their colleagues. 

"I'm bored to death… Are they gonna be much longer?" Scout asked his colleague. 

"Be patient, Scout. I'm sure they'll turn up any second now." Engie answered, putting his guitar away. "Actually, I'm quite surprised the Administrator didn't say anything about this all…"

The mercenaries took their weapons in their hands and looked at Engie as he spoke.

"Mmph-mmmph?"

"I mean that I would have expected her to announce it, y'know, if the REDs had a problem and were late." Engie said and Demo stood up, heading for the gates. 

"Oi! Ya RED half-wits! Come on, show yours-uh?!"

As Demo stepped closer to the gates, they flashed open. The BLU team gasped in unison. All the gates were open but not a single shot was fired. Silence fell for a moment as everyone's ears pricked up. They were all waiting for it, for the first shot, the first scream, anything! 

But it never came. Not a single shot, nothing. Not even the whisper of the wind. 

"Are they hidin' or somethin'?"

"I don't think so, Scout." Sniper answered. "I can't see their Sniper anywhere." He said,, removing his scope from his eye. 

"Do you think it's a new strategy?" Medic asked. 

"Nyet."

"Why?"

"Administrator was very clear. This war is not for money, is for testing weapons. There's no use sneaking. Also, Administrator is late for her announcement."

"I agree with you, Heavy." Spy said. "And I can confirm this. When I was hired, I asked about the usual strategies and those that we could or could not follow and the administrator was very clear: this is not a intelligence operation. None of the strategies that I'm used to apply here."

"Then where are they?" Scout asked.

"I don't know, pardner, but somethin's not right." Engie said, putting a hand on Scout's shoulder. 

"I will go and find them! RED TEAM, GET READY, THE EAGLE IS COMING!" Soldier shouted, aiming his rocket launcher on the floor to rocket jump. But before he could pull the trigger, Spy put a hand on his shoulder. 

"Non."

"What?!"

"Whatever is happening is not in the Administrator's control. Something  _ new _ is happening." Spy said, coldly, her eyes riveted on Soldier's. 

"What will we do then, lad?"

Spy turned to face the whole team.

" _ I  _ will go alone and see what this is all about. You all stay in the base."

"Spook-"

"Non, I'm the only one who can walk around invisible and is used to sneaking around."

"Spook, I won't let you go alone."

"Non, Sniper. I'm not alone."

She smiled and put her index on her ear. 

"I'll keep you all informed of what is happening through the earpiece. If I go silent and don't answer, do not worry, I will try and answer but it might be that the circumstances won't allow it."

"I'll look over you with my scope for as far as I can see you."

She smiled at him. 

"Thank you. And gentlemen, please remember, whatever you do, stay inside."

She took a look at her watch. 

"Give me an hour. If I'm not back by then, come along as a group. Be very careful though. As long as we don't know what's happening, it could be an anything."

"Alrighty then, Spah. We'll provide help from far away, as much as we can but  _ you  _ be careful, ok?"

She nodded. 

"Do not worry. Collecting information in perilous situations is my job."

She turned and took the first few steps out. 

"Wait!"

She stopped sharp and turned to face Sniper. 

"Oui?"

He walked up to her and looked over his shoulder. The entire team had their eyes on him. He grumbled and went to Spy's ear. 

_ "Please be careful, Princess." _

She raised her eyes and smiled. 

"Ne t'inquiète pas mon ami."

[Don't worry my friend.]

"Who'll be washin' the dishes with me tonight if you don't come back?"

Her grin grew wider. They weren't too close to the rest of the team but she preferred speaking in French nonetheless. That way, she's sure her dearest friend would be the only one to understand.

"Je reviendrai et on lavera la vaisselle ensemble ce soir, c'est promis."

[I will come back and we will wash the dishes together tonight, I promise.]

"Roight, good luck then."

"Merci."

[Thanks.]

He let her go and she cloaked as she walked away. Sniper came back to the base and looked through his scope. 

"Can you hear me, gentlemen?"

"Yeah, we can Spook. And I can see you too." 

"Alright. Let's go then."

She ran and looked around. 

"I can't see anyone so far. Heading into the RED Sniper's usual nest."

"Roight, be careful, the bastard might be waitin' for ya."

The BLU team barely heard anything for a few moments and Sniper felt hot. Sweat was beading from his temple. It seemed to him that those few seconds were years. He wanted to hear his friend back. 

_ Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on… _

"Nothing in this building either."

Sniper sighed in relief. 

"Alrighty then… Any clues at all as to where they are?" Engie asked.

"Non, none that I can see. It's as if they didn't leave their base. Oh, wait a second… Sniper?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you see me from where you are?"

"No, I've lost ya when you took that turn where the big sign is. Couldn't follow you anymore."

"You're sure about this?"

"O'course! Why you're asking?"

"Then why am I seeing a blue laser dot on a wall near me?"

All the mercenaries frowned. 

"Spy, you sure?" Heavy asked. 

"Absolutely. I will whisper now. If another Sniper is here somewhere, he might not be alone."

"Be very careful, Spook."

She nodded as if Sniper could see her. He knew it anyway, he knew she would listen to him. She exited the building and walked along the wooden walls, making her footsteps as silent as possible. Spy raised her head and looked around her. 

_ "Merde…" _

"What? What's happenin'?!"

_ "There are a lot of blue dots… It's not just one sniper, it's a whole group of them!" _

"But their lasers are blue so ya should be safe, right?" Scout said.

"On the contrary." Medic answered. "We're supposed to have only one BLU Sniper. Who these other ones are is still a mystery and besides, the Administrator didn't say anything about this all. So we're still in trouble."

Spy looked around. 

" _ I can't see or hear anyone else. And the Snipers are too far from me to identify them. I'll try and get closer." _

"Spook, m-maybe you should come back and we all go with you. You can't do this on yer own!"

" _ Of course I do. I did that and more than that when I was a spy! Now, please Sniper, stop worrying and let me focus!" _

Sniper raised an eyebrow. He wasn't entirely sure he understood what she meant but the he would question her later, when she comes back.  _ If, she comes back. _

_ "I'll try entering in a building. It seems that they're only watching outside of-oof!" _

"Spy?!"

The communication cut. There were static noises like interference, and then nothing at all. 

"SPOOK?! Spook, say something, anything!"

"Sniper, maybe he's facin' somethin' and he can't speak. Give'im a little time, will ya?" 

Engie tried to comfort his colleague. Meanwhile, at the other end of the map, Spy had been taken by surprise. There was a gloved hand on her mouth and a blade tickling her neck. 

"Mmph!"

" _ Shhh…." _

It was a whisper, a gentle breeze in her ear. Her assailant had taken her earpiece out of her ear and dropped it on the floor before crushing it under the sole of his expensive Italian shoe.

_ "Now this can go two ways. Either you listen to me and we make it out alive or you don't and we are both in a terrible predicament." _

Her assailant's breath smelled of menthol cigarettes and he spoke with a much stronger French accent than hers. She did not want to collaborate, not before she knew what was happening. 

_ "Listen, they have snipers covering all the rooftops and high vantage points. They have patrols covering the ground too. I think we should-" _

The gloved hand tightened its grip on her mouth and she got pulled, her back against her assailant's chest, against a wall. His perfume filled her lungs. She would have closed her eyes but she wanted to see those  _ patrols  _ he was talking about. 

And when she did, the RED Spy who was holding her firmly felt her jaw drop in his hand. She had expected everything but _that_. How would they fight them? Even with the support of her whole team, they would struggle because there were simply too many of _them_! But she was convinced of one thing: this was everything but a trick from the RED team. The Administrator liked her being in control too much to just throw a _surprise this big._

When the patrol passed and was out of earshot, the RED Spy whispered again in her ear.

_ "Let us move away from them and I can tell you the rest." _

He released her, flicking his knife back in his pocket, and they both crouched. She made a sign for him to follow her and he nodded. Not that they could see each other at all as they were both cloaked, but they managed to communicate anyway. They knew that if they bumped each other, the outline of their silhouette would slightly form and so they tapped each other's shoulders whenever they needed to appear for the other.

They walked back out of the building and in direction of her base. The RED Spy was the first one to uncloak and out of a cloud of thin smoked, he appeared before her eyes.

"I apologise for the cold welcome but I had to make sure they wouldn't find any of us."

She uncloaked and put a hand to her throat, where his blade had been, a few moments ago. 

"A simple conversation would have convinced me. You didn't need to shut me up and threaten me with your blade!"

He rolled his eyes up and continued walking towards the BLU base.

"Anyway. Here is the situation as it is: my entire team has gone."

She caught up with him and turned to face him. She was furious. 

"Hey…!"

She closed the narrow space between them, forcing him to stop walking, and she took him by his collar.

"I don't appreciate your not taking me seriously. Spy, next time you do that, you will end up with a bullet between your eyes and you'll respawn on _ your _ side of the map. Am I clear?"

She spoke with her teeth gritted, almost whispering, her eyes shining ferociously and their faces only a couple of inches apart as she had pushed herself on the tip of her toes. Her counterpart raised his hands. 

"My apologies."

She released her grip on him. 

"Also, what do you mean  _ 'it has gone'?  _ And why did you destroy my earpiece?"

The RED Spy put a cigarette between his lips and waited for his BLU enemy to invite him to continue walking, which she promptly did. They resumed their walk. 

"I am afraid I don't know more than what I just said. As for your earpiece, I think they can hear us through them. Ah! Here is your spawn room."

As soon as they saw it, Leila felt relieved until… 

"Bloody hell! Leave our Spy alone you piker!"

The entire BLU team readied their weapons, all aiming for the RED Frenchman.

"Stop! No!" 

The BLU masked agent took a step to stand between her enemy and her team. She opened her arms.

"Lower your guns, he won't harm us!"

They soon arrived at the spawn's door. 

"Bugger, Spook, why didn't you say anything, I was about to come get you!"

"Please gentlemen, lower your weapons. If he does as much as move,  _ I  _ will personally take care of him."

The RED Spy raised an eyebrow and Lawrence could swear he saw the RED snake smirk from the corner of his lips. 

"I don't trust him, Spook."

"Wait, pardner, first things first, what's the situation?" Engie asked.

" _ He _ knows, and that's why I brought him. But first, you need to all destroy your earpieces. Don't question it, just trust me and do it."

The BLU team looked at each other with question marks in their eyes. The first one to do it was Sniper. And soon, the rest of the team followed. The Australian walked to the RED Frenchman and searched him. He took out his revolver, his blade and his sapper. He then went to remove his watch. 

"There. Now we might talk." Sniper said.

"No, we need to all come back to the base." The BLU Spy said. 

"With him?!" Scout shouted.

"Yes, with him."

"Where is the rest of his team?" Medic asked. 

"Nowhere that will cause you any trouble, I assure you." The last of the RED answered.

"Wait, fellas, we still have a problem." Engie pointed at the gate.

"What?"

"He can't get passed our gates." Engie said, scratching his head.

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading! 

I hope you liked this one, as the youngsters say "shit is going down"! ;) 

Do let me know what you think with a comment, it makes a lot of difference to me :)

See you!

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	14. Chapter 14

"He won't be able to pass the gates." Engie said, scratching his head. 

The RED Frenchman finished smoking his cigarette and threw it on the floor, before crushing it under his sole. 

"I am sure I can." He asserted.

"Stop playin' the clever bastard." Sniper said, exasperated.

"It doesn't cost us anything to try." 

Sniper's eyes darted to his best friend. He wasn't liking it at all. He wasn't liking anything of this. But she was  _ the spy. _ He trusted her even if, had he had his way, the RED Frenchman would have been lying on the floor lifeless a long time ago. 

The RED Spy took a couple of steps forward and stopped right before he his enemy spawn's threshold. He then looked at his feet and raised his foot off the ground. He gently moved his leg forward, his foot hovering confidently yet taking his time. 

"Oh? He-he can come in?!" Scout asked. 

Indeed, the enemy's first step hadn't been stopped and after he took the second step, he stood entirely in his enemy's spawn room.

"Right, gentlemen, let's all head to the base."

"Non."

All the eyes turned to the odd one, the one who stood out of the BLU crowd. 

"There is someone I need to get from my base. I can't leave them behind."

Sniper rolled his eyes up and let his hand sink on his face from his brow down to his chin. 

"Pardner, why didn't you come out with them in the first place?"

The entire BLU team as well as the RED Spy was in the spawn room, some were sitting on the benches, others were leaning against the walls or even sitting down. 

"Because I had not anticipated to not find my teammates anywhere. Listen, when I woke up this morning, I was a bit late so I had a quick preparation and headed straight to our spawn room. The gates were open so ventured out, thinking I would meet with the rest of the team or even make contact with them with the earpiece. I called out to them multiple times but no one answered. And that's where it struck me. I didn't hear the Administrator once. She didn't announce the beginning of the match or anything and now it seemed like my entire team had vanished and I couldn't see anyone of you either!"

He sighed and stood from the bench, walking between his enemies to gather his thoughts. 

"So I explored, trying to understand what was happening. And that's where I saw  _ them _ ."

"Who?!"

"I won't tell you more until I have what I need from the base."

Sniper was visibly getting angry and the rest of the team was on edge too. 

"Gentlemen, listen. I will go with him and get whoever is still in his base."

"But he just said that his entire team disappeared so who is it that's still there?" Engie asked.

"None of your business." The RED Frenchman coldly answered. "But I will go back to get them. After my return, I will tell you the rest of the story."

Medic turned to the BLU Spy. 

"Spy, have you seen what he is talking about?"

She had a split second of hesitation. Of course she saw the new enemies her RED counterpart was talking about.

"No, I didn't. He got to me before I could see them."

The Frenchman glanced at his BLU counterpart quickly but didn't let his surprise show. 

"Anyway, the sooner we're gone, the sooner we're back and this whole situation is sorted."

Sniper was still making an angry face.

"Spook, can I have a word?"

He didn't wait for his friend to answer and he grabbed her by her shoulders, pushing her on the side to have a private word with her. He walked far enough to be out of earshot from his colleagues.

"What the bloody hell are you thinking?! Goin' out there alone with'im, you don't even know what dangers there are out there! And we can't talk to you anymore cause the earpieces don't work!"

"Sniper, I understand your concern but trust me, I'm sure it will be fine."

"How can you be so calm when you're about to do this?!"

"Because I  _ know him. _ Listen, if he managed to liberate my entire country from the Nazis, I don't risk anything going with him."

Sniper sighed and crossed his arms. 

"You don't risk anything if what he's sayin' is true. But he's a lyin', cheatin' son of a-"

She put her gloved index on his lips. 

"I know. But please Lawrence, I beg of you,  _ please… _ " 

She was pleading with her eyes as well as her voice, that she let be a bit higher-pitched, very  _ un-man  _ like. 

"... Please trust me."

He looked down in her eyes, big and dark, her long black eyelashes, and her pupils shining. She removed her finger from his lips. He hesitated but then released a very long sigh. He turned his back to the rest of the team who was discussing in the background. He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes with his fingers. 

"P-promise me." He said. 

"Anything you want."

"No, promise me that… That you'll come back to me…"

"I will."

"...Safe and sound."

"Mh-hm." She nodded.

"And be careful, don't trust'im." He put his glasses back on. 

"I think I know my way around spies more than you, mon ami. But I will be extremely cautions."

"Alroight. Now go before I change my mind."

She pushed herself to the tip of her toes and whispered to his ear.

_ "If we were alone, I would hug you." _

She winked at him as she murmured the words and when her heels touched the floor again, she raised her head to see his face. He was blushing intensely, his eyes as round as an owl's but soon his surprise faded and was replaced by the sweetest smile. She smiled in return and patted his shoulder as she walked back to the rest of her colleagues. The Australian turned his back and followed her closely, lowering his head to hide his blush. 

"The matter is set. Spy, I will go with you." She asserted before turning to her team. "Gentlemen, we shall be back before lunch."

"You'd better be, Spook." 

Sniper and Spy exchanged a conniving smile as he saw her and the enemy Frenchman walk away. 

_ \-- Further in the map -- _

The BLU Spy, along with her new, and unexpected partner, were cloaked and crossed the battlefield. They met with all kinds of enemies, which both of them took the time to observe. They did not know what their strengths and weaknesses were, but at least, they knew what they looked like. And as they both very well knew,  _ any information on the enemy is invaluable. _

"Pfff, what a shame." The RED man whispered.. 

"What?"

"We don't have a camera to take pictures of them."

"We don't need to. Let's move on and get your friends."

She walked past him and led the way. He looked at her with question marks in his eyes but nonetheless obeyed. When they finally reached RED territory, they both uncloaked and he now took the lead. 

"Follow me."

She did not contradict him, yet remained vigilant. They went through the RED base and she realised how similar it was to her own version. The house was arranged in the exact same layout, only the walls were different shades of red and not blue. 

"Wait for me here."

She nodded and took a seat on the living room sofa. The RED Spy disappeared in the corridor and she assumes he went in his room. She waited for him looking at what surrounded her. The living room was tidy overall, there were a few magazines on the coffee table, mainly to do with sports. She took one and flicked through the pages. 

Interviews of famous players, summaries of the past few matches of American football, basketball… 

_ Oh… _

A page was folded in the top corner. It was the interview of a baseball player. She started reading it when-

"I'm ready. Would you mind giving me a hand?"

The RED Spy's voice broke her reading. She closed the magazines and raised her eyes to him. 

"Of cou-, wait, is this…?"

She saw him standing and carrying in one hand a suitcase, and in the other… a big pet travel basket?!

"My cat, yes. Now, let's go. The sooner we leave, the sooner we're in safety."

She stood up from the sofa and walked to him. The BLU Spy bent down to look at the cat inside. 

"Wait, it's not just a cat, it's-"

"Yes, a mother and her young children."

She looked up at him with big question marks in her eyes. 

"I can't leave her and them behind. They're still extremely young and she needs me."

The BLU Spy was bewildered. She had expected her RED counterpart to come get some belongings, clothes mostly and maybe knick-knacks. But the people he wanted to come and rescue were his cat and her kittens...

She nodded and took one of the two handles, helping him to carry the family. He nodded in thanks and bent his head down to address the cat. 

_ "Perle, maintenant je vais te demander d'être la plus silencieuse possible. Si on nous entend, Dieu seul sait ce qu'on nous fera." _

_ [Perle, now I'll ask you to be as silent as possible. If we get caught, God only knows what will happen to us.] _

The lady cat shortly meowed and he answered. 

_ "Très bien, ma belle." _

_ [Very good, beautiful.] _

The BLU Spy pretended she did not understand what her counterpart was saying. To be honest, she was still trying to digest the whole thing…! 

"Now, let's go back to your base, shall we?" He said, taking the first step.

"After you." She politely answered.

They both cloaked and started walking through the map. They had to pause a couple of times to readjust their grip on the handle of the precious box. They also made sure to not rock it violently. They quickly found their rhythm without speaking or even looking at each other. 

Actually, not exactly. 

They did observe each other but each had to be cautious to do it without the other noticing it. The cloak certainly helped but the BLU Spy knew that her counterpart was extremely skilled. After all, he did manage to backstab her a couple of times despite her cloak. 

They passed all the enemies without alerting them once and decloaked once they were on the threshold of the BLU spawn room. 

The gates flashed open and they entered. 

"Spook!"

Sniper was the only one in the spawn room. When he saw his friend, he jumped off the bench he was sat on and came to greet her. 

"Oh thank Goodness you're back!"

"Was there ever any doubt?" She cheekily answered. 

"Oh, let me take this fer you." 

Sniper promptly took the pet box from her hand. 

"Wait, you went running back to get yer…." He looked in." Cat and kittens?!"

The RED Frenchman rolled his eyes. 

"Very observant." He drily replied. 

"Where are the others?" The BLU Spy jumped in the conversation before the other two jumped at each other's throats…!

"They're back in the base, makin' some lunch."

"Ah, good. I am quite hungry after all this."

"Ahem."

The RED Spy had coughed to interrupt the discussion. The two BLUs turned to look at him. 

"Where shall I put my belongings?" 

Sniper and Spy looked at each other. Ha! They hadn't thought of that! The BLU team now had to put up with a guest. 

"I guess the living room is not an option?" Sniper asked.

"Absolutely not. I would much prefer to have my own space." 

"Yeah well, you're not gettin' anywhere near me van, eh."

"Not that I would ever want that either, do not worry."

"I think…" The BLU Spy interrupted them again. "...that given that I have my own living room, which is separate from my bedroom. You can settle there momentarily at least. Also, your cat will have some space with her babies."

The other Spy looked down at her and raised an eyebrow. 

"Thank you." 

"Follow me, you two, and try  _ not  _ killing each other before we reach my room, alright?" She said.

She heard both of them grumble under their breaths but didn't pay attention to it. It only made her smile. Both men carried the cats and the suitcase. They all exited the spawn room and walked to the base. When they opened the door and entered they could smell the food. 

"Hmmm! I guess Engie and Pyro are cooking?"

"Judgin' by the smell, yeah, I guess so." 

"Great, they always make such good food."

"Better than yours?" Sniper teased her and it didn't fail. 

"Don't be ridiculous!" She simply answered. 

She unlocked the door to her room and pushed it wide. 

"This is it." 

She held the door for both men to enter with the box. As soon as they put it on the floor, the RED Frenchman unlocked it and freed his companions. 

_ "Allez ma jolie, tu peux sortir, on est arrivé." _

[ _ Go on beautiful, you can come out, we have arrived.] _

He was crouching down and calling out for his cat. Sniper looked at his friend and saw her observing her guest. He followed her gaze and watched as a fluffy white cat exited the box, followed by four kittens. The RED Frenchman counted them quickly and sighed, smiling at his companions. The mother cat went to her master and purred as she brushed herself on his legs. He petted her and stood up, raising an index. 

_ "Bien, ne fais pas de bêtises, d'accord? On est simplement invités ici." _

_ [Good, you behave, alright? We are merely guests here.] _

She meowed to him and Sniper's eyes went back to his friend. Her eyes were absorbing every little detail of what was happening. He had seen her do that before, when he had taken her to the Australian restaurant. Her eyes darted everywhere and he could see her making a mental note of every little thing she could see. He smiled. 

"Roight, Spy?"

"Oui?"

"Yes?"

Both the BLU and the RED answered at the same time. 

"I meant  _ my  _ Spy…"

The Frenchman sighed and rolled his eyes up.

"Spook, I'll be in the kitchen helpin' out, ok?" 

"Alright, Snoop."

The Frenchman raised an eyebrow but none of his hosts saw it.

"Be careful, alroight? And you, if you lay a finger on our Spook-!"

The RED Spy raised a hand. 

"Please. If I wanted him dead, he wouldn’t be standing with us right now."

The BLU Spy gave him such a deadly look even Sniper didn’t dare say anything. He exited the room and left the two masked agents alone. 

“So, make yourself at home. That goes for your cats too, let me know if they need anything in particular, I’ll be happy to provide any help I can to her.”

She crouched and the lady cat came at her. 

“May I…?” 

Her gloved hand was hovering over the head on the feline and before the RED Spy could answer, the cat brushed her head against it.

“Oui, you may.”

“She didn’t wait for you to come to me.”

“Indeed.”

“What did you say her name was?”

“Perle, it’s French for Pearl.”

“Pearl, you’re gorgeous…”

The Frenchman smiled. All the kittens gathered around their mother and the BLU Spy. She sat down and looked at Perle.

“Do you mind if I pet your kids?”

“Meow.”

“I don’t mind if you say no, they’re very young still and maybe I shouldn’t touch them.”

The Frenchman had opened his suitcase on the sofa and was getting a few things out of it at the same time as he was watching the whole scene unravel before his eyes. Perle took her kittens one by one and got them closer to the BLU masked agent who was still sitting on the floor. 

“Oh? Y-you trust me with your babies?”

Perle laid between the BLU Spy’s legs and her kittens laid next to her, drinking the milk off their mother. Spy held her breath to not disturb anything.

“She isn’t usually that friendly. Motherhood really changed her.”

“As it should. They’re all gorgeous. What are their names?” She answered, letting her breath go slowly.

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“May I make suggestions?”

The Frenchman looked at his host and smirked.

“Let us hear your ideas. But I have to impose one condition.”

“Oh?”

“It has to be in French.”

“Then I’m afraid I can’t help.”

The Frenchman chuckled but soon sharply stopped.

“Oh, I meant to ask this but I nearly forgot, would there be a telephone anywhere that I could use?”

“I do have one there on the small table next to the door.” She answered, standing up and paying attention not to disturb the cats.

“I will leave you to call whoever you need on the telephone. I will be in the kitchen. No doubt lunch will be served soon so don’t last too long.”

“Fine, I will join as soon as I can. Thank you, Spy.”

She gave him a last look before nodding and exiting her flat.

**_\-- Author’s notes --_ **

Thanks for reading and I hope you liked this one!

Do let me know about your impressions in the comment :)

See you! :)


	15. Chapter 15

"Ah, there you are Spook, c'me here."

The BLU Spy entered the kitchen and took a seat along with the rest of her colleagues; more precisely, she sat opposite Sniper. 

"Everythin's settled with the other Spah?" Engie asked. 

"Yes, pretty much. He's calling someone on the phone. He should be with us anytime soon."

"Alrighty then!"

All the mercs started enjoying the food that Engie and Pyro prepared together. It was mashed potatoes with some beef stew. They chatted to each other as they usually did. Spy and Sniper took advantage of the general discussions to talk between themselves. What's more, they would do it in French to be sure no one would listen to their conversations. 

_ "Donc il va vivre avec toi?" _

_ [So, he's gonna live with you?] _

_ "Oui, je ne vois pas d'autre solution." _

_ [Yes, I don't see any other solution.] _

_ "Ça ne te fais pas peur?" _

_ [It doesn't scare you?] _

_ "Non, j'ai vécu entourée d'hommes toute ma vie." _

_ [No, I've lived surrounded by men all my life.] _

_ "Non, je veux dire… Fais attention." _

_ [No, I meant… Be careful.] _

_ "Oui, ne t'inquiètes pas." _

_ [Yes, don't worry.] _

They stopped their discussion to appreciate the food. 

"Engineer, it is absolutely divine, you surpassed yourself!" The masked agent said. 

"Oh, well, it ain't much but I'm glad you like it. And you have to thank Pyro too!"

"But of course, Pyro, you're a very talented chef!"

The man in the gas mask clapped in hands happily in return. Conversations resumed left and right. 

_ "Spook?" _

_ "Oui?" _

_ "Il y a quelque chose que tu as dit qui me travaille." _

_ [Something you said is bothering me.] _

_ "Ah?" _

_ "C'est quand tu as dit que tu étais un- uh,  _ spy?"

_ [It's when you said that you were a- uh, spy?] _

She smiled.

_ "Un espion. _ A spy is  _ un espion. _ "

"Roight, thanks… But, I don't really understand, did you mean-?"

The door opened and the RED man entered. All discussions died instantly and every face turned to watch him. He took the last seat, at the end of the table. Sniper was sat on his right and the BLU Spy on his left. 

The silence was deafening. The man helped himself to some food and started eating, completely ignoring the fact that all eyes where on him. 

"So, uhm, Spah…"

Engie was the one to slice through the very thick ambient silence.

"Hm?" He raised his head.

"Maybe you could tell us more?"

"But of course." 

The Frenchman elegantly wiped the corners of his mouth with the napkin and cleared his throat. 

"First, let me tell you that this is no trick of mine. You may ask  _ your _ spy. My entire team is indeed nowhere to be seen."

The BLU masked agent nodded.

"Where and when did you last see them?" Medic asked.

"I had a late out night yesterday but when I got back to the base, my team was there. Most of them were asleep but Scout and a couple of others were still watching the television. That is the last time I saw any of them." 

"And about the enemy? What are they?" Demo asked. 

"At first I thought  _ you _ sent them."

The RED Frenchman pointed his fork in direction of the BLU Engineer.

"What?!" He exclaimed, nearly choking on his food.

"Well, wouldn't it be the right assumption given that the enemy I have found scattered across the map are  _ blue robots?" _

There was one common gasp. Eyes shrank and darted to one another. The only ones who seemed to not worry were the two spies:  _ he _ looked dead calm with his ice blue eyes riveted on the Texan while  _ she _ was frowning and observing him behind her coal irises.

"Are you serious?!" Scout shouted. 

"Again, if you don't believe me, ask  _ your _ spy."

She nodded and added.

"We have seen them. God knows if that's all of them or not, but for what we've seen, we are utterly outnumbered. There's an entire  _ army _ of them.

"What?!" Scout asked.

Demo looked at his bottle of scrumpy and downed more of it.

"Jesus, Mary, Joseph…" Soldier said, barely revealing his eyes under his helmet. "If it's war they're after, by God, we'll give them!"

"Nyet. We need to know more." 

Heavy's low and assertive voice calmed everyone down. 

"Heavy's right. Do you know what kind of robots they are? What weapons they're using?" Engie asked. 

"Unfortunately we didn't have any cameras so even if we know what they look like, for those of them that we managed to see, we can only provide a description with words." The RED Frenchman answered. 

"Speak for yourself." His BLU counterpart said with a smirk on her lips. "Engineer, you will find sketches of the robots we saw by tomorrow morning."

"Sketches?" The RED Frenchman said, mockingly. He was visibly trying to contain his laughter. "What are you going to do, hm? Draw them with coloring pens?" 

"Oi, if I were you I'd show some respect." Sniper said, gritting his teeth.

"Mister Spy,  _ how _ I do it is none of your concern, unless you're offering to help me do it." She drily answered and her eyes went to Engie. "They will be as technical as my memory can recall. If it isn't enough, we'll have to go with cameras and take a few pictures."

Engie raised his hand. 

"Thanks, Spah. We might be rushin' things a bit. Let's wait it out and see if the Admin gets back to us."

"How long should we wait, you reckon?" Scout asked. 

"Don't be impatient, son. But given that we have no clue if those robots are part of the plan or not…" Engie scratched his bald head. "I'd say we stay low for the upcoming few days at least."

Scout made a face.

"Borin'...!"

"Ja, but I'm sure if the Administrator wanted us to fight them, she would have sent instructions." Medic said.

"Or she'd have yelled in those speakers of hers…!" Scout added.

"So gentlemen, let's call this a few days of holidays." The BLU Spy concluded. She then looked at her guest. "That, and a truce."

The RED Frenchman nodded. 

"I would like to uh, thank you all. I know it's not easy having me amongst you, but I appreciate your efforts."

"As long as you keep away from our backs" Sniper said.

"And mah garage." Engie added. 

The RED Spy wiped the corners of his mouth elegantly and gave a devious half-smile. 

"I will try my best. In any case, you have all my weapons."

"I don't have yer disguise thing."

"And I will keep it, it is also my cigarette case. If at any point you think I am stupid enough to play around and disguise, feel free to punch me in the face. If I get damaged, that means it's me. Otherwise, you would just make a fool of yourself." 

Sniper clenched his jaw. He hated that nonchalant and arrogant RED man. 

"Although, Spy…?" The RED one was addressing his BLU counterpart and she raised her head off her plate. 

"Hm?"

"May I offer my help with the descriptions of the robots?"

She half-smiled. 

"Yes, you may and I shall accept. But I know you're not  _ only  _ offering just to help."

Sniper looked at him and saw the Frenchman's eyebrows slightly jump. 

"Very well." He answered with a devilish smile. 

For an instant, their eyes met. Ice blue and coal black. In Sniper's eyes, who was watching one and the other in the middle of fork on plate concerto, the two spies were two ends of a very wide spectrum. _She_ played the arrogance but had a big heart deep down while _he_ _was_ insufferable and had a heart as warm as the color of his eyes. One could almost wonder if he really was human at all. 

Their eyes met and in the fraction of that second a lot was exchanged. It wasn't in the form of words but in the eyebrows, in the flapping of the eyelashes, in the infinite darkness and mystery of their pupils. They both tried to probe what those pupils hide. 

In French, they say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. It is the one organ that will betray you, no matter how good a spy you are. It's there that the emotions will leak if you manage to hide them everywhere else.

It was an arm-wrestle, only with eyes. They darted from the left to the right one.  _ She _ felt like he wanted to intrude in her life. She didn't like to have someone watching her while she drew. But of course, if she had refused his help, not only would it be suspicious but she couldn't really refuse the help of the best spy she knew, even if she knew him through myths and legends.

_ \-- Spy's suite -- _

The BLU Spy unlocked the door and entered, leaving the RED Spy to close it. She heard him chuckle as he did. 

"Is something funny?"

"The locks." 

He said, pointing at the three additional locks that she had added. 

"Do you think they would stop anyone?"

"They would indeed."

The Frenchman laughed. 

"They wouldn't stop  _ me _ ."

She threw him such a glance... He removed his jacket, put it on the sofa's back and undid his cuffs. 

"Why this look?" He asked, smirking.

"You know very well why."

"I have no clue, pray enlighten me." 

She had kept her jacket on. After all, her shirt and what it contained was what gave her away to Sniper. She turned to her guest and rolled her eyes up. He was still smirking as he took a cigarette. 

"We both know you're not anyone, Mister Spy."

"Really?" He offered a cigarette to her but she declined. He got a lighter out of his jacket pocket, lit his cigarette up and elegantly exhaled waves of smoke. 

"You are a spy. Those locks wouldn't stop neither me nor you. But they do stop the rest of my team."

He frowned. 

"I guess you are correct. Although I don't know why you wouldn't just lock your door with your key. They can't break into your flat, not unless they do it with brute force that is. Those locks are unnecessary."

She felt hot under her mask. Originally, the locks were to protect her real identity, the fact that was a woman. Now it turned out that she'd rather put them on her bedroom door than on her front one…

" _ I guess you are correct." _

She simply answered, quoting him. He got it and smiled.

"Would you go to the shower first?" She said, to change the topic of the discussion.

"Non, after you."

"I insist, you're my guest."

"And I insist more, you're my host."

Every bit of chat they had was like that. Efficient sentences were designed, each word was carefully picked to convey a message and place a subtle bait. Each answer, each facial expression, every little detail was analysed, interpreted and every sentence in fact contained infinitely more than words. Non verbal communication was a huge part of what one could learn from another person. 

"No Spy, you know very well I wouldn't go before you." She said.

"Fair enough. Would you by any chance have a towel I can borrow, please?" He asked.

"Of course. Although it will be blue. I'm assuming you're more used to red ones." 

"I am indeed."

She went to fetch one and soon came back. It passed from black gloved hand to the other. 

"I nonetheless prefer blue. Thank you."

She nodded and he disappeared in the bathroom with the towel and some clothes.

_ \--- _

The RED Frenchman locked the bathroom door and started the hot water as he undressed. He was standing in front of the sink, looking at his reflection untie his tie and slide it away.

_ Hm… _

That phonecall he had just before lunch. It had set his curiosity on fire! 

_ C'est donc vrai ce qu'on raconte… _

_ [So the stories are true…] _

He removed his mask and stared at himself. Oh, the years showed more and more… The lines on his face, his slightly protruding cheekbones, and above all, the white streaks of hair with a wider white front lock above his forehead and on his temples. 

He sighed, still thinking and not paying much attention to the mess of hair that flew in front of his eyes. His white shirt and his trousers landed on the sink, neatly folded. His undershirt and socks soon followed, along with his garters. He stepped in the shower. 

_ Ha, c'est assez incongru, et en même temps, très cocasse.  _

_ [Ha, it's quite unexpected, and very funny at the same time.] _

The water washed his thoughts away as quickly as they popped in his head. He was rewinding time and replaying that conversation he had had on the phone, again and again. Every word came back and splashed in his head. He wasn't unfamiliar with such stories. Even if he had retired, he still very much had eyes and ears everywhere. And he knew that he  _ himself _ was the object of tales, of course. But to think that  _ that one _ was true…? 

He smiled to himself. 

He always told people he didn't believe it. Non, it simply could not be. If it was true then how come he never faced it, hm? Oh yeah…

His smile vanished.

He had retired. That's why. 

Water dripped along his skin downwards, taking away his physical tiredness but not the black in his head. 

_ Non. _

He shook his head to shake away those thoughts. Non. He needed to focus back on that phonecall. Ah yes, the surprise. The surprise and the anticipation. He knew he could play  _ very big _ with that one, and the experienced liar had a weakness for putting people through a bit of, well,  _ torture. _

He smirked to himself and cut the water. He dried himself and put some clean clothes on. When he was done, he exited the bathroom.

"Oh, I see I come at the right moment."

His host was sitting on the floor, between the sofa and the fireplace, surrounded by sheets of paper and cats. Some of the kittens were playing with the crumpled ones under the supervision of their mother who was lying between the BLU Spy's crossed legs.

"Well, you did come a bit late. I'm afraid I managed to picture the robots we saw without you, Mister Spy."

He chuckled and crossed the living room and sat on the sofa. He bent down and took a few sheets of paper in his hand. On her side on things, she raised one to pretend to look at it under a better angle when in fact, she was eyeing her guest closely. 

She saw it. She's sure she did. Come on, she couldn't have dreamt it. The corner of his lips had pursed up. 

"Not bad…"

She smirked proudly. She knew her technical sketches were of good quality. 

"... But you've missed the obvious,  _ mon ami. _ "

[My friend.]

Her smirk instantly disappeared and she frowned. 

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading! :D

As always, your impressions make my day and push me to keep it up so don't hesitate to drop me a line in the comments! :) 

See you!

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	16. Chapter 16

"You've missed the obvious,  _ mon ami." _

[My friend.]

Her proud smirk disappeared and she frowned. She grabbed the nearest few sketches and looked at them closely, her eyes crossing slightly. 

"I do believe they're accurate, Mister Spy." She replied, slightly annoyed. 

He lit up another cigarette. 

"Non, look…" 

He slid down the sofa and sat on the carpet next to her. 

"May I…?"

He extended his hand and she lent him her pencil. He held the cigarette between his lips and the pencil in his right hand. An insignificant detail maybe, or maybe not. She could feel the sweet warmth of the flames of the fireplace on her left, the cat in her lap, and her guest on her right.

"First let me say that those are incredibly technical, they look to me like blueprints almost." 

And indeed, the Frenchman wasn't too far from the truth. The sketches resembled more engineering drawings, with sizes and lengths detailed everywhere, rather than childish representations. Each robot that they saw was drawn as seen from in front of them and on the side, with details about what they wore and what they held in their hands. She even made a close up on some of their parts. The Frenchman was utterly taken aback, but his professionalism forbade him to show it. 

"But don't you notice something about them at all?" He asked. 

She frowned. 

"They're all bipedal…?"

"Oui…"

"They don't have any recognisable weapons incorporated to their structure… I mean I see no barrels or anything of the sort on them."

He puffed on his cigarette.

"Yes…"

"Hm… What else..? Uh… They have different sizes and shapes, they're not all the copies of each other. Although the snipers looked like each other…" 

"Yes, you're getting there…"

She sighed. 

"I don't really see anything else…"

"Look here."

He rummaged through the papers on the floor and took one. He then pushed the remaining ones to sit in front of her, cross-legged. He held the drawing next to his face and raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to make a comment. 

"So, don't you see it now?"

She squinted and her eyes went from the drawing to her guest repeatedly until finally, she saw it. Her eyes widened and her pupils shrank. 

"Dear Lord…"

"Now you see it! They are all not copies of each other indeed, but copies  _ of us!" _

She slapped a hand in front of her mouth. 

_ "Copies of… us?" _

"Oui look, this one is us! And…" The Frenchman excitedly rummaged through the sketches. "This is Snipers! And these are Scouts…! And that's Demoman…!"

"Oh my God! And that's Soldier! And that one's Heavy and Medic! And that's even Engineer! Wait a minute!" She stopped sharp.

He raised his eyes from the sketches and their eyes met. 

"If they've got Engineers, that means that they have-"

"Sentry guns, yes, I would think so." He finished the sentence for her and collected all the sketched from the floor and handed them to her. She took them as he spoke. "I would also assume that if they have robots that are built following our class system, they also have-"

"The same weapons as we do." This time, she was the one to end the sentence.

The Frenchman stared in her eyes and smiled. His mind rolled back to the thoughts he had during the shower. 

_ The stories are definitely true. _

"That's a lot of information we gathered here." She said, still staring at the sketches. "God only knows if there's more about it, but you know what? I'll call it a small victory and I'll go take a shower if you don't mind."

"But of course." He answered and his eyes went down to his cat, still curled in a ball of fur in his host's lap. "Perle, ma chérie, je crois que tu vas devoir le laisser se lever." 

[Perle, sweetheart, I think you will have to let him stand up.]

"Meow."

"I know," He continued in English. "It certainly is warm and comfortable there, but look, what about some dinner, hm?" 

He rose to his feet and went to the pet box. Once she heard the word dinner, the fluffy feline raised her head and pricked her ears up. She saw her master take a pack of food from it and shake it. At the sound of it, she jumped out of the BLU Spy's lap and trotted to her master, meowing repeatedly. 

"Now you may go, Spy." He said to his host. 

"Thanks, I didn't dare move her." 

He nodded and went to the kitchenette to take a bowl and pour some of the cat food in. His host disappeared in her room only to reappear briefly to go to the bathroom. He heard the shower go and sighed. The Frenchman took a seat on the sofa in front of the flames and stared at the drawings next to him. He took them in his hands and observed them again. 

He was amazed. He had never thought she could be  _ that _ skilled. He put a cigarette between his lips and stared longer. What a surprise, truly, the stuff of tales. 

_ \--- _

Dinner was shared in the usual manner and the BLU almost forgot that an enemy was sitting around the table with them. It is true they were still showing suspicions about him but he didn't dwell on it heavily. After all, had the roles been reversed, he would surely be extremely cautious too. 

When everyone was finished, Spy turned to him. 

"Spy, here's the key if you want to go back to your room."

"Aren't you coming with me?"

"No, I'll stay here and help Sniper with the dishes, I'll come when I'm done." 

The mercenaries started to empty the room.

"Fair enough." He took the keys and headed out of the kitchen leaving the BLU Spy and Sniper alone. Sniper went to close the door completely. 

"You're quick to trust him with yer keys." He said as he came back at her side. 

"Non, he doesn't even need them, it's just for show."

"What d'you mean?"

"No locks can stop me and the same applies to him, maybe even more so with him."

"Hm, I s'ppose you're roight." 

Plates were passed from one hand to the other, along with glasses and cutlery. Sniper was washing and Spy was wiping and putting things where they belonged. 

"What do you make of him, Snoop?"

"I don't like him."

"That goes without saying, but it doesn't answer my question."

He sighed. 

"He's… He's too arrogant, full of contempt, poke him with a needle and he'll explode in pride!"

She started laughing. 

"That came out very spontaneously of you!"

"I don't know how you can live with him."

"Oh, I… I don't know. As someone I know would say,  _ 'It just works'... _ "

He looked at her with question marks in his eyes. She smiled away. 

"I just think he's too full of himself." The taller man said. 

"Maybe, yes. But I know he has all the reasons in the world to think he's very skilled." 

Sniper grumbled. 

"What?" She asked. 

"You always say that but so far I'm more impressed by you than by him."

She raised an eyebrow. 

"What?!"

"Spook, he's not half as good as you with his gun and you're infinitely more observant than he is."

He handed her a plate. She took it in her hands but stared at it blankly.

"He never apologised cause I didn't spend Christmas with my parents."

She looked up at him and he winked. 

"Bah, I'm sure he'd have guessed as much if he had had the opportunity."

Sniper clicked his tongue.

"I'm not so sure."

"Non, Snoop, believe me. He's  _ very _ clever, very differently than me, but still."

"How d'you know?"

"Snoopy my dearest, I've told you most of what I know of him. Half the things he survived are now part of the tests to become a secret service agent and let me tell you, only a very few people pass them."

"Well you did and that's all that counts." He kindly answered. "Although…"

"Yes?"

"Hm, I don't know if you wanna answer this Spook but I've really been thinking about this for a long time."

She raised her head and an eyebrow, curiously.

"It's what you said earlier today."

"What is it?"

"When you were about to go with the RED Spy to get his things and I was trying to hold you back…"

"Oui?"

"Well, you said you had gone through dangerous missions when you _ were _ a spy…?"

Her eyes snapped wide. Sniper looked down at her. 

"Spook…?"

He saw her close her eyes, frown and bite her lip. She didn't look too much at ease. 

"C-can we talk about this in your van rather than here?" 

"O'course." 

They finished washing the few pans and bits of cutlery in a deafening silence. Sniper felt bad for his friend, he realised he had struck a nerve but he wished to all the Gods that he hadn't gone too far. The last thing he wanted was to lose her. She was too important to him. 

"Shall we?"

"Yeah, let's go."

They left the base and headed straight to the van. Sniper readied the kettle as soon as he entered and she collapsed on the sofa. 

"So, uhm, Spook, if you don't wanna talk about it, it's fine I mean-"

"Non." She cut him sharp and neat. "Sit down next to me please."

"Roight." He did as he was told. 

"Look, I didn't tell you all there is to know about me." 

He listened carefully.

"I… I'm as much a spy for the French government as you are."

" _ What?!" _

She lowered her head. 

"I-It's… I mean…"

"Wait, you're not a spy?!"

"Non, I am not a spy."

"You've never been working as a spy for the French government?! And that story about you got there and everything was  _ made up?!" _

She raised her head quickly. 

"Non! I  _ was _ a spy, but not anymore."

"They threw you out?"

"Non, I quitted."

"Oh…" 

The kettle's whistle interrupted the flow of their conversation. Sniper got up and prepared two mugs. He poured the tea in and handed one to her. 

"Look, Spook, whatever the reason why you quitted, I don't think any less of you." 

She nodded in thanks for the cup of warmth and wrapped her thin fingers around it.

"If anything, I'm happy about it. If you were still workin' for them, we probably would have never met." 

She raised her eyes to meet his, a faint smile on her lips. They both took a sip of the herbal tea and it helped them calm down and settle.

"I guess you're right, Lawrence. But I will tell you anyway. I quitted because it was becoming a bit too dangerous and I couldn't cope with it anymore." 

"I can imagine."

"And…"

He looked at her but she couldn't finish her sentence. She bit her lip and lowered her eyes. 

"And?" He asked, almost whispering to not pressure her too much. 

"You'll think I'm ridiculous."

"Hey, Spook, look at me." 

She slowly raised her head, as if it weighed a thousand times more than what it used to.

"Leila, I'm here fer you. You can tell me anything, you hear me? Anythin'. I'm not tellin' anyone, I'd rather do anything than betray you."

"Pff, are you ready to die then? Because I can't tell you how many secret services are after me, eh…"

"Yeah."

She raised her eyes and stared at him, her eyes wide open. 

"Did you just say-?"

"Yeah, I did. Look, I'm a paid killer. In my line of work, it's kill or be killed sometimes. I know some people who, if they were still alive, would pay huge amounts of money to whoever got my head. And you? You came like a ray of sunlight in my life. You just… You're the best friend I've ever had and I ever will. Even my parents don't know me and understand me as well as  _ you _ do!"

She lowered her head and screwed her eyes shut. 

"Thank you." She simply said. 

"Spook?"

She didn't react. 

"Leila?"

She turned her head away. He changed his strategy. He took the mug away from her hand and pulled her out of the sofa to stand up. She resisted at first but he was stronger.

"Lawr-?"

He had pulled her to hug her. Sniper was holding her in his arms. He continued speaking, his chin on her head.

"I don't need to know what you were before. You never asked me what  _ I  _ was. Well yeah I killed animals, but I also killed men. A lot of them. I killed and killed, thinking it would cure me."

She freed herself from her friend's embrace. 

"Cure you from what? Are you ill?"

"Nah, cure me from liking men. But it didn't. Of course it didn't… But Spook, what were you going to say? Why did you resign?"

She leant her head against his chest again and felt his arm wrap around her. 

"Because the solitude was killing me."

Silence weighed heavily on both of them.

"I used to be like you, Spook."

She raised her head to him and was surprised to see him smile.

"And then I met you."

She smiled too.

"But I'm not talking about friends, Lawrence."

"Oh…" 

He released his embrace and they both sat back on the sofa, taking their mugs again. 

"I'm tired of being told who to like and not like, what to feel and who to manipulate. I want to be free to like who I want."

"And is there anyone you would like to.. well… like?"

"Not for now. I mean, I love you like I would my own brother, but I don't really, uh,  _ love anyone like a…" _

"A boyfriend?"

"I guess so, yes, a partner."

"What kind of bloke you're looking for?"

"Someone with whom I can be myself, someone who can know who I am and who won't be scared."

"Scared?"

"Whoever ends up with me has to know that they're at least as sought after as me."

"Ah, I get it."

"It's a bit of a curse and if I want things to last with said person, I can't hide that from them."

"Hm, fair enough."

They stopped to drink more of their tea and their mugs soon emptied. 

"Although Leila, I'm sure you'll find him I'm sure."

"Bah, sometimes I come to think that I'm better off alone maybe."

"Nah, you'll find a decent bloke and he'll understand and accept you as you are."

"One can but dream."

He shoved her playfully. 

"Oi! A bit of optimism doesn't hurt!"

"Right, oui, my apologies." 

She smiled to her friend. He stood up and took the cup from her, putting it in the sink. She stood up and headed for the van's backdoor.

"I'll go back to my room. I want to get some decent sleep after today's adventures."

"Yeah, fair. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Oui-oh, actually…"

"Yeah?"

"The RED Spy doesn't know I understand French and I want to keep it that way. The less he knows about me, the better."

"Don't worry I won't be the one to say anythin'." 

"Thanks, Snoop."

She came to him to hug him and left to her room. 

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading! 

Let me know what you think of this one in the comments, it boosts me to keep on going :)

See you!

  
  
  



	17. Chapter 17

Spy liked those moments with Sniper. She could say what she thought without holding anything back. In her line of work, it was something she could not afford. But now that she was a mercenary, not an employee of the French government, she had her freedom to enjoy. What a luxury! 

She gave a short knock at her own door. 

"Come in!"

She pushed the door and found her rival on the sofa, reading a magazine, his back to her. She locked the door and removed her coat. 

"Good evening." He said. 

"Good evening, Spy." She politely answered. 

She headed for her room but she couldn't help looking at him. He was wearing a pyjama and a dark blue satin gown. The sheen of it was beautiful under the dancing flames of the fireplace. Perle and her kittens were at his bare feet, laying down. The babies were asleep but not the mother. 

"Spy?" He asked. 

She had put her hand on her room's door knob but stopped sharp and turned on her heels. 

"Yes?"

"Is there a blanket I could find somewhere?"

"Oh, I'll bring you one, give me a minute."

She went to her room and emerged a few seconds later with a blanket in her hands. 

"There."

"Ah, many thanks." He took it from her.

"I also brought a couple of pillows. I'm sorry I don't have more than this sofa for you."

"No problem, it is the same in my base. Also, do you mind if I put the fire off for the night. It is quite bright and I have a very light sleep."

"Oh, no of course, do as it suits you."

"Thanks."

She nodded and walked away to her room.

"Spy?" His voice made her stop again and she turned to face him. 

"Yes?"

"Good night." He simply said. 

"Good night to you too." 

She closed her bedroom door and quickly slipped into her male pyjamas. After all, when she wakes up the next day, her guest might see her before she puts her suit on. 

She laid in bed. 

_ Pfff…. _

No, sleep wasn't going to fall on her now. She tossed and turned thinking about what she had said to Lawrence. 

_ Hm. _

Yes, she wanted to live a  _ "normal" _ life, have someone at her side. She wanted to feel…  _ safe. _ Oh, Lord. She had fantasised it a million times. A man with whom she could just behave like a woman, and who would treat her like one. She didn't want a man who would spoil her and buy her unnecessary knick-knacks. No. She was way past this kind of romance. Leila was dreaming of someone she could share all of herself with, or nearly that. As she had said the other day to Sniper, she wanted to look in the eyes of her partner and feel whole and one. She would see the waitress, beaten up in that bistrot in Bordeaux, she would see that young woman cutting her hair to enter the secret service, she would see it all in one flash.

Leila sighed and sat up in her bed. She quickly glanced at the clock. Midnight had long passed and she couldn't close her eyes. 

_ Oh. _

She wondered if the Frenchman was asleep next door. She couldn't see any light from the narrow slit of space between the bottom edge of the door and the floor. 

_ Hm… _

She slid out of bed and silently crept up to her door. Slowly, she crouched and aligned her eye with the key-hole. 

He was lying on the sofa, in the blanket she had given him. She couldn't see much of anything but she could just about distinguish his silhouette. That was all. She couldn't see anything else. 

_ Pfff… _

She went back to her bed and sat, her back against the wall. Her arm dived under the bed to retrieve her sketchbook and pencil. And there she went, she opened it, flipped the pages and got started while her train of thought flowed. 

Her mind rolled back to the beginning of the day, Sniper insisting for her not to go alone, then her getting caught by the RED Spy, she will have to ask him the name of his perfume, it smelled wonderfully good. But he had threatened her and the sharp sting came back to her throat. She frowned. They had come back to the spawn room, he had crossed the threshold of her base, and then she did the same in his. The cats. 

She raised her head and stared in front of her for an instant, as if she had been underwater for too long and needed to get to the surface for some air. 

She resumed her sketches.

The cats. He was ready to cross the entire map, swarmed with enemies he didn't know how to fight,  _ if  _ he could fight them, just for Perle and her babies. Now she thought of it, it was utterly insane. Surely a spy of his standards knew that it was absolute madness to go alone  _ just for his pet cat! _ Were it to gather intelligence on the enemy, maybe… No, actually, that's never how to proceed! Even if it was to gather intelligence, you need to prepare a mission, not go head in first! 

But then that meant one thing: he liked his cats a lot, maybe even more than himself. Her thoughts went to what Lawrence had said. Yes, the RED Spy might think himself much better than average but from what she knew, he was the best in his field. She remembered Marc telling her the tales of that man; that same man lying next door and dreaming peacefully.

Or so she thought.

For what she didn't know is that the man next door was far from asleep. He was lying on the sofa, blinking repeatedly in the darkness, his eyelids flapping to the rhythm of his thoughts rolling in his mind. 

He had been completely taken aback. She had trusted him blindly and came with him to get Perle and the kittens. Maybe it was a test? Maybe she just wanted to observe him from closer?

He looked down on the floor. Perle and her kittens were sleeping on the carpet. 

And he hadn't refused her help. He hadn't uttered that sentence that drove some of his superiors mad back in the days:  _ I work only in solo. _ Non, he hadn't said a single word. Wait. Maybe  _ he _ wanted to observe  _ her. _ Whether he wanted it or not, he couldn't tell, but one thing was sure. He did observe her and what he saw had left a deep impression on him. The way she moved, the way she would check for the presence of the enemy, her gestures. It all took him back a good decade or two before, when he was working for the French government still. All those hand gestures to signal an enemy approaching, or that the way was clear, the way she would turn to him and make sure he was alright and still following… 

Spy took a deep breath and when he exhaled, it was in a long sigh, the bittersweet taste of nostalgia on his tongue. 

She had impressed him in more than one way. She was no beginner in the spying business, she knew what she was doing and it showed. But she also knew how to listen and communicate. And that's just for her skills on the job. Then, Spy had discovered that his BLU counterpart was an outstanding artist. Those sketches,  _ mon Dieu!  _ Such precision, such hardwork in a minimum amount of time. And she hadn't missed anything! Ah, to think that he had mocked her when she offered to make those drawings... He shouldn't have. That also explained why she had said that they didn't need a camera. She had keenly watched the enemy and rendered it all masterfully, not a single detail of what he had seen was missing. 

He sighed and sat up on the sofa. Sleep wasn't coming to him. His eyes went to the bedroom door at the end of the room in front of him. He looked down, between the bottom edge of the door and the floor, that thin slit of space was lit. 

He silently rose from the sofa and walked towards that faint light. He slid down slowly until his eye aligned with the keyhole. 

There she was, on her bed, writing or maybe drawing. Non, it would most likely be drawing. He didn't realise it but he was smiling. She was making faces as she drew, maybe she was making the faces that she was drawing? Or maybe she didn't even realise that her face was contorting, maybe it was just her emotions leaking out of her. 

She was still wearing her balaclava. 

_ Hm. Cautious she is. _

But then again, so was he. They accepted to live and sleep one door apart but that didn't mean they trusted each other. 

The Frenchman silently gasped. Something had touched his leg. He looked down and saw Perle. He took her in his arms and stroked her. He glanced one last time through the keyhole before turning his heels and going back to the sofa, where he lied on his back, putting Perle on his stomach. 

"Meow?"

"Shhh…" He softly whispered. "Pourquoi tu t'es réveillée? Tu vas manquer à tes petits."

[Why did you wake up? Your babies will miss you.]

She lied on her master and brushed her head on his mouth and cheeks. He smiled and chuckled as silently as possible. If there was one creature would could say that he was a sweet man, it would be Perle. She had seen him at his worst and helped him through so much… It was the only family he had and could rely on. Perle, and her newborns now. He was determined to care for them until they grew up sufficiently by which point he would then decide if he wanted to keep them or give them away. 

"Meow."

She raised her head and was staring at him, her black pupils filling her eyes almost completely in the dark. 

"Non, je ne l'espionnais pas. Je n'arrive pas à dormir et j'ai vu de la lumière, c'est tout."

[No, I wasn't spying on her. I can't manage to sleep and I saw some light, that's all.]

The fluffy feline brushed her head against her master's mouth again and he hugged her, closing his eyes. After stroking her fur for a couple of minutes he fell asleep and she escaped his arms to go back to her babies.

_ \-- Next morning -- _

As usual, the BLU Spy woke up quite early despite falling asleep very late. She pushed herself to the edge of her bed, still lying down when something pointy hurt her stomach. 

_ Aïe! _

_ [Ouch!] _

She looked and saw her sketchbook was still there. She had fallen asleep in the middle of a drawing. Bah, whatever. She put it away and got out of her bed. 

_ Attends…  _

_ [Wait…] _

She sniffed repeatedly and could smell something. 

_ Ça sent... l'omelette? _

_ [It smells like… an omelette?] _

Her eyes snapped wide. She slipped her red satin gown on quickly and went to the keyhole of the bedroom door. The living room was lit up and she could see a dark blue silhouette at the other end of the room where the kitchebette is, its back to her. 

_ Il est en train de cuisiner?! _

_ [He's cooking?!] _

She stood up again and slowly opened her door.

"Meow!"

Perle came to her, trotting happily and followed by her babies. 

"Good morning, pretty cat."

She crouched down to pet her and the cat purred.

"Good morning, Spy." The Frenchman said. 

"And to you too." 

She walked to him. 

"I hope my cooking didn't wake you up?"

"No, it didn't, but it smells very good I must say."

"Thank you, it's only an omelette."

She came next to him and looked at it. It looked gorgeous, golden, not overcooked and the Frenchman had cut onions and garlic in it. That, along with the smell, took her decades back to France. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, the widest smile on her lips. He looked down at her, at his side and chuckled. He watched as she opened her eyes slowly, blinking repeatedly.

"It looks and smells gorgeous, you truly are French, Mister Spy."

"Thank you, I take it as a compliment."

"Is there a better one?" 

As soon as the sentence escaped her lips, she realised what she just said. She didn't mean it to sound like  _ "Being French is the best compliment that exists on the face of the Earth and I'm making that compliment to you" _ , but it was too late. The words were out there, in the air. The entire room heard it. She became hot behind her balaclava and could feel her ears burning. 

"Right, I-I'd better get a change and some breakfast. I'll be in the kitchen but as they say in Spanish  _ 'Mi casa es su casa',  _ eh…"

[My home is your home, meaning feel free to do as you please as if this place was your own.]

She turned her back and started walking away, not looking at him. She felt like his piercing blue eyes would make her burst. If she had been white, she would have turned as red as a brick. She went to hide away in the bathroom for a while, not seeing the pink on his cheeks and his faint smile, but he stopped her. 

"Wait."

She bit her lip and wished very hard that indeed she didn't look too flustered. 

"Yes?"

"You don't think I can eat all this on my own?"

"Well, maybe you have a big appetite?" She answered and in her head, she facepalmed. 

_ I've just called him fat, bravo Leila… _

He laughed and shook his head. 

"Non, I'm afraid I'm not as ambitious as you think I am. And please, I've made some coffee. Help yourself and I'll just be an extra minute with the omelette."

"Oh, uh, alright, if you insist…" 

"I do indeed."

She grabbed two mugs and poured the coffee in. 

"How do you like your coffee?"

"Black and no sugar, please." 

"Alright." 

He watched her add sugar and milk in hers and the corner of his lips pursed up. She put both mugs on the table behind them. She also laid two plates and some cutlery for the omelette. 

_ "Chaud devant!" _

_ [Careful, it's hot!] _

He said as he spun on his heels, the pan still in his hand. She sat down and watched as she gently laid half of the omelette in her plate, and the other half in his. He put the pan away and sat in front of her. 

"Well, thank you for this, Spy."

"For what?" He asked.

"For this omelette." 

"Oh, you're welcome, but please, go ahead and tell me what you think of it."

She nodded with a smile and cut a square of it. She put it on her tongue. 

_ Mon Dieu…! _ , She thought.

The omelette melted on her tongue. She closed her eyes and smiled. As she starting chewing, she tasted the onions and garlic and oh Lord, that was goat cheese! She loved goat cheese in her omelettes! 

When she opened her eyes again, he was staring at her with a smile, his head slightly bent and resting on his wrists. 

"So?"

"Spy, I haven't had an omelette like this in forever! It is simply divine!"

"Thank you. But you have to thank yourself as well. All the ingredients I found in your fridge and you have some good instinct to choose high quality products."

"Well, I'm F-uh, frankly happy you should think so." 

She sweated heavily. She was about to say she was French too but she caught herself just in time. He smiled and her eyes opened only slightly wider. It was a genuine smile. Not a smirk. His long black eyelashes closed on his very light blue eyes and his thin lips stretched, his pearly white teeth showing slightly.

He was very like his portrait in the Ministry of Defense, only a bit older maybe. He wore his age very handsomely, she thought. She knew he had the reputation of a lady killer back in the days, and she could perfectly see how. She stared at him, trying to imagine the bits of his face hidden behind the balaclava. It should be more or less like that picture Marc had showed her. 

"So you've already eaten an omelette that good before?"

His question broke her long stare. She blinked and smiled.

"Well, I've been to France a couple of times and, yes."

"I presume you're originally from England, given your accent?"

"More or less, yes." She lied of course and she knew her accent when she spoke English fooled the Francophones.

"More or less?" He raised an eyebrow and she smirked, leaving his question hanging. He smiled too and continued eating his omelette. 

"So, whereabouts have you been in France, then?" He asked. 

"Bordeaux, Paris, Lyon, Marseille… All the major cities, I'd say."

"Do you have one that you liked in particular?" 

"Bordeaux." She answered without hesitating. 

"And yet you don't drink." He said, half smirking. 

It didn't surprise her that he knew that about her.

"Of course, you've been rummaging through the cupboards to find the ingredients for the omelette…" She said while sipping her coffee. 

"Indeed. And no bottle of wine or beer to be seen. I then conclude that you do not drink."

"Do you?" She asked.

"Oui, but not anything."

"Of course. I guess you have your strict preferences."

"Same as you with your omelettes it seems." He answered with a smirk.

"Huh?"

"I've seen how you smelled that omelette. It really hit your soul, didn't it?"

She diverted her gaze from him. 

"Thank you for the omelette, Spy. If you'll excuse me, I need to go." 

She left the table and headed straight to her room. He wanted to stop her but he felt it. He had struck a nerve and the best thing he could do was to give her some space. He knew already what she was doing and when she exited her room, he was washing the dishes and didn't dare say anything. 

_ Merde. _

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading! 

I hope you liked this one! Let me know what you thought of it in the comments, it makes a huge difference to me :) !

See you!

  
  
  
  
  



	18. Chapter 18

There was an all too familiar knock at the van's door. 

"Come in!"

She pushed the door and entered. 

"Uh, oh, what's that face?" He asked. 

"I can't hide anything from you too?!" She exclaimed and Sniper could hear the annoyance. 

"Sit down, and tell me. I'm listening but I need to finish washing these dishes."

"Hm." 

She collapsed on his old, worn out couch. 

"I-..."

"Take yer time, Princess."

"I don't know what to make of him! He's there and with his cats! And I nearly made a mistake, and-"

"Wow, wow, wow! Calm down!"

Sniper turned to face her. 

"When I said take yer time it's not for you to pour out everythin' at the speed of light! Now, tell me again, but slower please."

"Oh, yes of course, sorry… It's the RED Spy."

"What about him?"

"He's… He's a puzzle and a half. I can't wrap my head around him."

"Well, he's a spy, and a good one at that apparently."

"Oui, oui he is."

"But why do you say he's puzzlin'?"

"How would you describe him, Lawrence?"

"A lyin', cheatin', son of a-"

"Oui, oui, enough, I get it. He is lying, cunning and deceiving, right?"

"Yeah."

"But you haven't seen him with his cats… He's friendly and caring and behaves almost…  _ fatherly  _ with them!"

"And?"

"And that morning, he cooked for the both of us and…"

"And? You can tell me everythin', mate."

He sat down next to her, wiping his hands on a tea towel, and laced an arm around her shoulders. 

"And he genuinely smiled at me, he was being  _ kind. _ "

"You sure he wasn't lyin'?"

"Non, Snoop, he was being genuine."

"How can you tell?"

"Well that's what unsettling… His uh… His eyes…"

Sniper raised an eyebrow. 

"Hm?"

"Sniper, when he looks at me I… His eyes… His-His eyes they…"

Sniper felt something was off. He took her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

"Look, Leila, you've gotta breathe and calm down, I can almost hear yer heart poundin' from here. Whatever it is you want to say, I'm ready to hear it."

She took a deep breath and lowered her head. 

"His eyes… His pupils grow when he talks to me…"

_ \-- Spy's room -- _

"Meow!"

"Pfff…."

The Frenchman was lazily lying on the sofa, the warmth of the flames tickling his right side. Perle and her babies were on his chest and stomach.

"Meow!"

"Je sais…"

[I know…]

He was feeling bad enough. 

"Meow!"

"D'accord! D'accord! J'y vais…!"

[Alright, alright, I'm going…!]

He carefully pushed the kittens aside and got up. 

"J'ai fait une erreur, je vais la réparer."

[I made a mistake, I have to repair it.]

He quickly shaved and got dressed. He was tiing his tie in the bathroom when he heard a meow. His eyes darted from his own reflection to the floor. 

"Quoi?"

[What?]

The lady cat jumped on the sink and stood on her back paws. 

"Qu'est-ce que tu veux?"

[What do you want?]

He lowered his arms and she sat down staring at him with big blue eyes. He bent down to her, putting his head at her head's level and she put her front paws on his cheeks. 

"Oui, je me suis rasé, ça piquait un peu." 

[Yes, I shaved, it was stinging a bit.]

She brushed her head against his mouth. 

"Oui, ma chérie, je t'aime aussi."

[Yes, sweetheart, I love you too.] 

He whispered. Even if he knew he was alone in the flat, he couldn't possibly say those words out loud.

He finished dressing up and went to the phone.

_ \-- Sniper's van -- _

"His pupils grow when he talks to me…"

Silence fell in the van.

"And that how you know he's telling the truth?"

She nodded. 

"I didn't know that was a thing." He said. "But what do  _ you _ think?"

"I… Can I tell you something and please don't mock me?"

"O'course."

"The omelette he cooked this morning was the best I've ever had in years, maybe even in my entire life and I showed it."

"Oh… And?"

"And that's it."

"Why would I mock you for that?"

"Lawrence, I'm a spy and I let it show that I absolutely loved his omelette."

"I still can't see where the problem is."

She sighed, and grew more annoyed. 

"Lawrence, I'm supposed to hide my feelings and manipulate others and myself perfectly but when his omelette landed on my tongue and his eyes locked on mine, I lost my composure and my self-control,  _ for a bit of food bloody hell!" _

He still was not getting, the lack of understanding showing on his face.

" _ HE DID WITH A BIT OF FOOD AND HIS EYES WHAT TORTURE COULDN'T DO TO ME!" _

She shouted and clenched her gloved fists.

"Oh, now I see…" 

She hid her face in her hands. Her mouth was dry and she felt like she had been blindfolded, spun around like a tiptop and left to wander in the dark.

"I even almost told him that I was French too… Good thing that I quitted my job, I have become such a bad spy…"

"Hey, no, don't say that."

She bend forward and still hid her face in her hands. 

"Non, Sniper. I am a shit spy, unable to hide such basic things."

"Oi, no! Listen, first, you did hide it in the end. Second, to be honest, you could tell him you're French, there's nothing critically important that he'll know about you if you tell him that. It's not like he's gonna guess that you're a sheila if you tell him you're French."

She raised her head of her hands. 

"I guess you're right. But I don't want him to know things about me."

"I understand, he's still a RED and we're still BLUs."

"No, no, it's not for that. If he learns who I am, he might sell me back to France or to another country. And I don't want to get back to running away, Lawrence, I'm tired and I just want a  _ normal  _ life."

She sighed and he had her lean against his shoulder.

"I understand. What about him? Do you know if he'd do that to you? I mean… I have your side of the story but we have no idea what he thinks, and I don't want to ask him either."

"I don't know… But he's been retired for decades now and Marc told me that even if the government back home would pay him huge amounts of money, he's always refused to come back."

"Sounds a bit like you, eh."

She raised her head to look Lawrence in the eyes. Her eyes may have shot real bullets.

"Just sayin'..." He added. "But chances are he couldn't care less you are then."

"How so?"

"Look, if he's refused loads of money to just have a relax retirement, he won't accept it either if he has to ship you to some foreign leaders in a box with ribbon is what I'm sayin'."

"Hm, might be true."

"Also, it's only day one of you two living with each other, you can't just come runnin' each time he does somethin'. Take your time to know him and give him some to settle."

"Yes, oui, you're definitely right. Thanks Snoopy."

He smiled.

"It's nothin'. Now, d'you mind if I finish washin' the dishes?"

"Only if I can help."

"Roight, roight, take this towel and let's get to it."

\-- _ Spy's room -- _

He put the phone down and hung up. The Frenchman frowned. This entire situation was getting more and more mysterious by the second. He needed to talk to his counterpart. 

He took his jacket and coat and exited the room. He crossed the corridor while putting them on and exited the base. He knew where he would find her. 

There was a knock at the van's door. Both the BLU Sniper and Spy stopped sharp. 

"Who's there?" Sniper asked. 

"It's me, I would need to talk to your Spy."

Her blood froze on the spot and she looked up at Lawrence, terrified. She thought the van was a safe place. It turned out that he even could find her there.

"He's not in here. Get lost!"

"Yes he is. I'll be back in your room Spy, but I would really need to discuss something with you! You can come too, Sniper. I'll see you then."

Lawrence went to the van's backdoor and looked through the small judas. He could see the RED man walking away. 

"How did he know I'd be here?" She asked.

"I don't know. Do you want to go and see what he wants?"

"Yes, give me a minute and we'll go."

_ \-- Spy's room -- _

The Frenchman's ears pricked up when he heard the knock and the force of it, he knew she wasn't the one who knocked.

"Come in!"

Sniper and Spy appeared and shut the door after them. 

"So, what d'you want?" Sniper asked.

The RED Spy got off the sofa and motioned them to take a seat next to him. 

"I see you have brought your  _ friend _ , Spy."

She didn't answer. And the three mercenaries sat down. She found herself between the two men. The cats were playing on the carpet, in front of them.

"I came to learn that the reason why the Administrator has been silent for the past few days is because she she is nowhere to be seen."

"What?"

"Same goes for Mademoiselle Pauling. Both of them have disappeared."

"How do you know?" Sniper asked. 

"A few phone calls to the right people." He drily answered. "But that does mean that those robots we saw are indeed not her initiative and idea."

"What about your team?" Sniper asked. 

"Same thing. They are all somewhere that is unknown to me or my contacts. I am afraid that one consequence of that is that my stay here might be quite long."

He looked at his counterpart. She was staring at the flames from the fireplace but didn't have the energy to say anything. She was trying to understand what had happened to her a few hours ago. Why she just let herself go, and her emotions show.

Meanwhile the silence was weighing more and more and the air in the room was heavy on everyon'e head. The Frenchman took a cigarette and lit it. 

"I do apologise, Spy."

The Frenchman's voice cut the air like a katana would a watermelon. 

"I realise you are making a lot of efforts to out up with me and I overstepped the mark. Pray accept my apologies."

Sniper had turned as red as a brick. He hadn't expected the Frenchman to include him in that discussion!

"Uhm, mate, look, it's probably better if I let you two sort yourselves out on yer own?"

"Non, Sniper." The Frenchman looked him in the eye. "I upset your uhm,  _ companion _ , this morning and I realise it's most unkind and impolite of me, given what he has done for me so far."

Sniper took the opportunity to embarrass the Frenchman more. 

"Ah, and what did he do fer ya, hm?"

She put a hand on Sniper's thigh to make him stop.

"Nah, nah, let's hear it, Spy, go ahead mate."

The Frenchman knew that  _ that  _ could happen. But he was a man of honor and  _ he _ was the one to have made a mistake. Time to face the consequences. 

"He crossed the map with me, just on my saying that I needed to get someone. He never questioned who it was, or if what I was saying was true."

"Yeah, true, and?"

"He accepted to open his door to me, which in all fairness, had the roles been reversed, I would probably have refused to do."

"Ah, interestin', go ahead, ya piker, continue…!"

"He…" The Frenchman stopped for a while but then resumed. "He did all he could for me and my cats than I could not have done for him, had it been the other way around. Non, Spy, you have been most kind and I don't think you're playing any tricks."

She raised her head and looked him in the eye. And Sniper saw it. She had been right, the second the Spies' eyes connected, the Frenchman's irises shrank slightly. 

"Thus I apologise for my interrogation this morning."

"Yer what?!"

"I interrogated your spy this morning during breakfast. My questions were far from innocent, as they always are and-"

"Wait." The BLU Spy finally uttered a word. "You are apologising because you interrogated me this morning?"

"Oui, more or less."

"No." She answered drily. "There's more to that."

"Quoi?"

[What?]

"You can't be apologising for something that you're doing so naturally. Why the uncharacteristic kindness from you all of a sudden?"

"It felt wrong." He calmly answered, as he let the cigarette smoke whirl out of his mouth elegantly.

"Why?" She kept asking. 

"I don't know and quite frankly? I couldn't care less to know. But I'm sure your side of the interrogation was sincere this morning, for most of it, and so were your intentions towards me. Also, in light of the recent news, I should cooperate with you and your team completely."

"Whot?" This time, Sniper interrupted him. "I don't see why we'd cooperate with ya. If the Administrator's really gone, I'll pack my stuff and go back to Australia. I don't know why I should stay here."

"To help me get my team back!" The RED Spy exclaimed. 

"Hahahaha!!" Sniper burst into laughter. " 'Cause you think I wanna see those scums again?! Nah, mate. If my job's done here, I'll drive back to Oz and get back to me life in the Outback."

The RED Frenchman sighed. 

"You really have no honor, Sniper."

"Whot?"

"My entire team along with two women have vanished of the face of the Earth and you're sitting here laughing at my will to find them back?"

"Yeah, yeah I am, you bloody bogan. Loads of people go missin' everyday and I don't see you turnin' into a detective and lookin' for them! So what's different with those ones?"

"They're my team, Sniper! You've been here as long as I have, if your team was to disappear, no doubt you would try to find them!" The Frenchman was visibly getting angry but he got an idea that calmed him down instantly. "Oh, or maybe you'd only worry if  _ your spy _ went missing, hm?"

"What d'you mean?"

"I mean, that given the  _ special relationship _ you're having with him, maybe you'd only care for him, non?" He was smirking viciously. 

"Oi, oi, if I were you, I'd stop this roight there, roight now." The Australian said closing his eyes in an attempt to calm himself down.

"Oh, and why is that? Have I struck a nerve? Is  _ your spy _ that precious to you, hm? So I'm guessing the endless nights of  _ washing the dishes together _ are, uhm, how would you say in English…?"

"What the bloody hell are you talking about?!" Sniper stood up from the sofa and looked down on the RED Spy. 

He stood up too and, even if he was still shorter in height than the Australian, he looked him right in the eye and continued, his face only a few inches away from him. 

"Oh I am only pointing at the obvious here. Yesterday we finished dinner at around 9.00pm and  _ your spy _ came back in his room past midnight. Now I know that washing the dishes for ten people takes some time, but surely it can't be  _ that _ long, especially when it's not one but two people washing them, non?"

Sniper clenched his jaw. 

"Similarly, when he offered to follow me to my base to help me, who was the only one to care about his safety?" The Frenchman pressed his index finger on the Australian's chest.

_ "You,  _ my dear. And I saw it all, he did put a finger on your lips to shut you up. Now, I would say that makes you two  _ pretty close _ , don't you think?"

Sniper snapped. He grabbed the smirking Frenchman by his collar and pulled him down on the ground. The cats darted away.

"Sniper! Stop!" 

Leila shouted but the Australian was down, straddling and punching the Frenchman repeatedly in the face.

" _ YA ABSOLUTE FUCK, I'M GONNA MAKE A NECKLACE OUTTA YOUR TEETH!" _

"Meeeeow!" Perle jumped on the Australian with her claws out but he easily pushed her back and she was sent almost flying a couple meters away.

"LAWRENCE, STOP!"

Leila took his arm and twisted it behind his back in an armlock. She then pulled him off of her counterpart. 

"Stop it, it's enough!" She shouted again. 

The Australian pulled his arm away from her and angrily exited the room, slamming the door shut after him and leaving the two Spies on their own. 

"Merci." The RED Frenchman said, sitting up. He removed one of his gloves and put a finger below his nose. "Merde, I'm bleeding…" 

"Don't thank me, I would have left him punch you into a pulp."

"So why did you stop him?"

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thank for reading!

As always, your comments are greatly appreciated :) 

See you later!


	19. Chapter 19

"So, why did you stop him?" 

The BLU Spy took the couple of steps that separated her from her counterpart who was still sitting on the floor. She knelt down and-

" _Aïe_! What was that for?!" 

She had punched him faster than he had anticipated she could.

"For interrogating me this morning."

The Frenchman put his fingers on his nose and hissed in pain. 

"That is quite fair actually." He admitted. 

"Get up and follow me." 

He did as he was told and followed her. She led him to the bathroom. 

"Sit down." 

He looked around and sat on the edge of the bath. The Frenchman watched as she took some cotton and disinfectant. She sat next to him and started cleaning his bruises. He stared at her. She was frowning as she was focused on the task at hand. The disinfectant stung him a bit but he didn't dare break the silence. He felt like they both needed it. 

"Why are you smiling?" She asked. 

"Huh? Non, I'm not smiling." He answered.

"You were. But anyway… Why do you care so much about your team? I feel like there is something else that you didn't tell Sniper." 

"Non, that's the only reason." 

She stared in his eyes. 

"Liar. Try again." She simply answered and continued cleaning his cheeks. 

"I am not lying. What would you do if tomorrow you woke up without the people you've been working with for years?"

"I would try and find them…"

"You see? That's only natural!" He answered.

"...On my own." She finished. "And I know you would do the same. So that moves the question from 'Why do you care about your team?' to 'Why do you care about your team _that much?_ '. They're 8 of them, you're alone, you could think they can manage on their own. And yet, you insist on-oh!"

Her eyes snapped wide. 

"What?" He asked. 

"Could it be because Mister Spy has _a particular interest_ within his team?" She wiggled her eyebrows.

"With one of _those people?!_ Are you kidding me?!" 

She burst out laughing. 

"Hahahhaa!! And why not after all? If you think Sniper and I are together, I'm happy to believe you share your nights with one of your teammates."

"Because you don't with your Sniper?"

"Tsss…" 

She smiled as she rolled her eyes. She was now cleaning the wounds next to his mouth, around the edge of his mask.

"Of course not! We're just good friends."

She cleaned the blood above his lips and he raised an eyebrow as if to doubt what she was saying. 

"No, Spy, I swear, he's like a brother to me, nothing else." 

She put the cotton away and he could speak again. 

"Fine, I'll try to believe you."

"You're insufferable." She rolled her eyes again.

"Amongst other things, oui." He playfully answered. "But I'll only tell _you_ the reasons of me trying to get my team back if we can have an honest chat."

She raised an eyebrow and stood off from the edge of the bath, looking down at him.

"I'm sorry? I've been truthful since day one!" She said, mildly annoyed. 

"Is that so?" He looked up at her, his eyebrows high up and his eyelids half closed. 

"I'll leave you to clean the wounds under the mask, alright?"

He nodded. 

"Merci."

"My pleasure." 

She left and closed the bathroom door. 

_Merde._ She thought. _He knows. I don't know what, but he knows it._

_\-- Saturday that week --_

The RED Frenchman had been there almost for a week already. Everyone had got used to him and even if some held grudges more than others, he managed to find his place in this now less hostile environment. To be honest, he wasn't exchanging much with the team but his relation with the BLU Spy was getting better by the day. They sometimes shared their breakfasts together and they had that stupid game where she would rate his omelettes. Of course, the Frenchman wouldn't take less than a 10 out of 10 as a valid answer. 

"No Spy, this is definitely an 8!" She said, raising her hands. 

"Are you kidding?! An 8?! Not even 9?! I demand another jury, you must have drunk quite a lot or taken some drugs of some kinds!" 

"No, no, no, _this_ is an eight, there's no way to bargain!"

"How is that so?!"

"Look at this, the cheese it… It never ends!" 

She had picked a bit of the omelette with her fork and was pulling and the cheese that had melted was stretching endlessly from her plate her fork.

"That's because it's Emmental I've put in there, not goat cheese!"

"Well then I'm sorry but it's a very poor decision…"

"Your 8 is another one!" He answered back.

"Oh! You can't just deny the judge's decision!"

"What kind of judge are you anyway? You're _English!_ How do _you_ know anything about what makes a good omelette?!"

"Dare tell me that my tasting abilities are not up to the challenge! I think I've proved myself all along this week!"

"In all fairness you did…" He said, wiping the corners of his mouth elegantly with the napkin. 

"Ah!" She exclaimed, triumphant.

"... But you're still an Englishman. And as such, your assessment of my omelette doesn't bear any value."

"I beg your pardon?!"

He smirked and took a sip of his coffee. He had grown to enjoy his host's company, maybe more than he had imagined he could. She had an excellent sense of repartee and could handle the conversations with him masterfully, dodging all the traps and dancing around with his words as if she had known him for a long time.

That evening, she was sitting on the carpet, surrounded by the cats and drawing them on her sketchbook. He exited the bathroom after his shower and sat on the sofa, looking at them: the BLU Spy and the cats. The kittens were old enough to run around now and they could just about climb on the sofa.

"You're drawing them?"

"Yes, argh, stop moving! How do you want me to draw you if you keep on running around like that!" 

He chuckled and extended his hand. 

"May I see?" 

She looked up at him but pulled the sketchbook to herself. 

"No, but I can show you if you want." 

She wasn't willing to let her sketchbook in his hands. It was way too personal. 

"If you don't mind, I'd be delighted." He simply answered. 

"Alright. Excuse me, Pearl." 

The cat jumped out of her lap and sat next to the Frenchman on the sofa. 

"This is-"

"Perle? Mon Dieu, that's gorgeous! It's really her! _Ma chérie, viens voir!"_

_[Sweetheart, come and see!]_

At the words _"ma chérie"_ , the BLU Spy felt hot. She prayed that he didn't feel it. The cat jumped on the sofa and laid half on his thigh and half on hers. 

" _Regarde, c'est toi!"_

_[Look, that's you!]_

She groomed herself and turned to lay on her back. 

"I'm showing you some extremely beautiful piece of art and you ask to be petted as if I wasn't spoiling you already! What an ungrateful lady you are!" The Frenchman said as he stroked his cat's stomach. 

"No Spy, she simply isn't recognising herself on the drawing."

"Well indeed I can see that…"

"I don't take it badly, it's normal, even in front of a mirror she wouldn't be able to."

"Really?"

"Yes, cats don't have that ability, only very few animals do. I seem to remember that elephants can for example, maybe pigs. But definitely not cats."

"You know your fair share of things, I'll give you that, Spy." He said and she smiled. 

"I did go to school, yes." She cheekily answered. 

"Hey, are you implying that I didn't?!"

"Oh, no, I wouldn't dare…!" She said with a smirk. 

"I'll pretend I believe you, but pray show me more of your pieces."

"That's one of the babies, but he escaped before I finish. That one however stood still for the entire time, he's a good little boy…"

While she was showing her sketches the Frenchman, the kittens managed to climb on the sofa and had invaded them. Now their laps was entirely covered in cat fur. 

"... And that other one was asleep until his brother slapped him!"

"Oh, poor boy..!"

"Yes, I felt so bad for him!" She put a hand on her chest. 

He was staring at her eyes. She found it hard to maintain eye contact with him. There was something in the fairness of the colour of his eyes, like the sheen of a blade that stabbed her mind directly. She found it dangerously beautiful, or beautifully dangerous, maybe even both...

\-- _Sunday night --_

The BLU French woman was in her room, putting the last touches to Sniper's picture with his parents. It looked great. It was in black and white, she wasn't great with colours and she preferred it that way anyway. 

"Ah, voilà!"

She exited her flat quickly to go and get her friend. 

"Snoop!" 

She knocked at the van's door. 

"Yeah?" He exited his camper. 

"You've got to come and see, I've got something for you!"

"Oh, wait-!"

As soon as he had a foot out of his van, she grabbed his arm and dragged him to the base. 

"Spook, what it is?"

"I can't tell you, or it wouldn't be a surprise now would it? Although technically speaking I guess it isn't one, but anyway."

They stood in front of her flat's door. 

"Now before you enter, I need you to cover your eyes."

"What?!"

"Please, just do it, Lawrence, trust me."

"But-oi!"

She had gone behind him and did it herself. He felt her gloved hands on his eyebrows and slightly brushing his eyelids. 

"Knock on the door for me."

He did as he was told. 

"Come in!" The RED Frenchman said and couldn't hold back from raising an eyebrow when he saw the Australian entering, his arms in front of him and his eyes hidden by his colleagues' hands. 

"Now, Snoop, go on, forward, alright, go on, yes, yes, now to your left slightly please, alright very good…"

"Look, Spook, it'd better be somethin' good, I really feel weird not being able to see where I'm puttin' my feet!"

"Trust me, it's worth it!"

The RED Spy observed the banter from his sofa, where he had been reading his magazine. 

"Meow?"

He shot such a murderous glance at his cat, one could have thought it was because the noise of Sniper and Spy was bothering him… 

"Now open the bedroom door, just push it, yes, like that, now again, one foot after the other!"

The Frenchman's jaw dropped. He watched as they disappeared in his host's bedroom. After that, he could only hear the muffled noise of their voices, laughters and giggles. And by God it lasted 15 to 20 minutes… the Frenchman wished he could shred his magazine to pieces to cover up the noise. Each time he did hear them, he felt his insides boil up a bit more. 

_"Spy, I swear he's like a brother to me, nothing more!"_

He said to himself with an atrocious high-pitched voice, making a grimace. He thought she had been honest, nothing led him to believe that she was lying. And yet, there they were in her bedroom, giggling and-

"Thanks again, Spook, amazin' as always. I mean I don't know how you do it, it's always perfect, you really have a talent for it!"

Sniper and Spy exited the room. The bitter Frenchman on the sofa didn't even turn to look at them. Steam was fuming from his nostrils. He made a disgusted face. 

_Amazing as always? You have a talent for it? L'indécence de ces gens! Ils font leur affaire juste sous mon nez et ils en parlent ouvertement devant moi!_

_[For shame, some people! They do their business right under my nose and then they openly talk about it in front of me!]_

"Always my pleasure Snoop, you know I'm glad to oblige if you ask me to. Glad to make you happy."

The Frenchman was burning on his seat, he might as well have left a burnt up spot on the sofa. He was giving his back to them both and to think that his counterpart had just… with the Sniper… right next door?! And he did hear everything!

The RED Spy stuck his tongue out in disgust. 

"I'll see you later and thanks again!" Sniper said. 

"My pleasure, dear." She answered before closing the door. 

The Frenchman could feel his hands sweat in his gloves. He was furious. 

"Next time, just tell me that you need me out of the flat and I'll oblige." He said from the sofa. 

"What?" 

"I said, next time your _boyfriend_ visits you, please ask me to leave you two alone!" He answered, his voice growing louder. 

She facepalmed and let her hand sink from her brow down to her chin. She was about to just ignore him and go back to her room but…

"I can't believe you did what you just did right under my nose. I thought English people were more polite and prude than we French people are!" He said.

She stopped sharp and raised an eyebrow. 

"What are you talking about?!" 

_Oh et elle a le toupet de me répondre!_

_[Oh and she has the guts to talk back!]_

He put his magazine down, slapping it against the sofa and stood up to face her. His eyes flashed angrily and he was fuming enough that he knew that _that was it!_ He was going to let it all out and make her face it!

"Time to be honest here, _Mademoiselle!"_

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading!

Thanks for the readers and the brave folks who comment, your words always make a big difference to me :D !

See you!

  
  
  
  



	20. Chapter 20

"Time to be honest now, _Mademoiselle!"_

Her jaw dropped. 

"What the hell are you on about?! Why are you angry all of a sudden?" She asked, her voice reverting to a female's. 

He took a step towards her.

"Are you kidding me?! It was disgusting of you!"

She took a step towards him.

"What the bloody hell do you mean?!"

"You invite your boyfriend in? Fine, after all, this is your place. But that you _do your business_ with him, right next door, _that_ loudly?! Have you no decency?!"

"Doing my busi- Spy, you've got to understand that Sniper is not my boyfriend!"

"Ah, and the sweet _'dear',_ and _'Snoop'_ and-argh, to think that I thought you were telling the truth! I was foolish enough to trust you!"

"Hey! I told you the truth, Mister Professional-at-lying, I swear I did, however, why _you-”_ She put her index finger on his chest. “- why you can’t believe me is beyond my knowledge!”

“Oh of course! You bring a man here, blindfold him, calling him sweet names, you then take him to your bedroom and all I hear are muffled giggles and whatnot for fifteen minutes and when he comes out, he said that you were amazing?!"

"Spy, you got it all wrong!” She shouted.

"Then pray make up a better lie about what this all was about right now!"

She sighed. 

"Sniper asked me to redraw a picture of him when he was young with his parents. I've been working on it for weeks and I've just finished so I brought him in to see it and take it!"

"Ah you mean the ink drawing?"

Her eyes widened and her pupils shrank. 

"Y-you've been inside my room?!"

He smirked as he understood that he now had the upper hand. 

"I didn't need to. The ink stains on the cuffs of your shirt told me that." 

She looked at her sleeves and indeed, very faint dark stains were there. She bit her lip. 

_Merde._

She screwed her eyes shut. 

"Also, pray explain why you pretend that you're a man? Although I must admit that your performance is fooling the others masterfully, I believe."

She put a hand on her eyes. 

"I hate you, Spy." She said and pushing him slightly as she passed him, she took a seat on the sofa. He sat down next to her and lit a cigarette. 

"I'm all ears, Mademoiselle Spy." 

[Miss Spy.]

"That was part of my deal with Mann Co. You see, when the previous BLU Spy left, the Administrator and Miss Pauling sent me a letter. It was a date and a place for an interview, to work as a mercenary. I went ahead and tried to get that job. As the interview went on, I got the impression that I was in fact the _only_ candidate. They agreed to take me in but I had to pretend I was a man and I thought that was easy enough, I already had pulled it off a few times before."

"Iran, somewhere at the end of the 70s I believe? Oh and I should say in Algeria too in 61 or 62, that was grand." 

She stopped dead and looked at him. He was puffing arrogantly on his cigarette, one leg on the other, not even looking at her. She was both frozen and boiling. Never had she expected him to know that much about her. She decided to resume her story as if she didn't feel like he had stabbed her and was moving the knife in the wound. 

"And the reason why I have to do so is because parachuting a woman into an all-male environment was simply out of the question."

"But of course, you would become a distraction, something to take the minds of men away from battle, _as you brilliantly did previously in your career."_

She took a deep breath. The more he talked about her past, the more it hurt… 

"I guess so." She simply answered. 

A knock on the door interrupted them. 

"Give me a second." 

He nodded and she went to the door. She opened and Sniper was there. 

"Hey mate, I was thinkin' of goin' to town to waste some time there. D'you want to come along?"

She lowered her head and shook it slowly. 

"I-I can't. I'm in the middle of something. Maybe later… Actually no, I'd make for terrible company I think. No, thanks, Snoop."

He raised an eyebrow, he wasn't understanding why she seemed so distraught. But when the Frenchman appeared behind her, somehow it made sense. 

"Oh! Sniper, please do come in, I think you will like this conversation we're having!" The man in red said. 

"Spy, please, no, not him, no."

"Oh non, he's going to come in and listen. I bet those _enlightenments_ will allow him to know you better!"

"You bastard-"

Sniper jumped in the room, launching his fist forward at full speed. The BLU and RED Spy both dodged it easily but this time it's the RED one who twisted his arm in an armlock and pulled him in the room. 

Both BLUs were now sitting on the sofa while the Frenchman was walking back and forth on the carpet between them and the fireplace. 

"So, shall we resume, Mademoiselle?" He said, deviously. 

Sniper slowly stretched his shoulder to ease the pain away and he looked at his friend. She looked utterly defeated. He put a hand behind her back to comfort her. 

"What do you want, you bloody pryin' weasel?"

"Not much, in a word, the truth. But I believe I have part of the story."

"How did you know?" She asked, her voice still showing no strength to fight back.

"A simple phonecall to my best friend from back in the Ministry, I do believe you know him, his name is Marc."

At the mention of her mentor's name, her mind blew up on the inside like a glass pane that a bullet came to smash, into a million pieces. Faceted shining bits of glass flew in every direction in her head. She put her hands on her eyes. Sniper laced an arm around her. 

"You've been talking to her mentor behind her back?!"

"I like to know my hosts when I'm supposed to live with them." He simply answered, as if that would explain it all. 

"And Marc told you my story?" She asked.

"Oui, all of it. From where he had met you to now. But most importantly, he told me about your career as a lady spy - oh, what am I saying? _The_ lady spy! The one that governments around the world would kill to have in their ranks!"

"Well I can bloody well understand why! She's doin' a fantastic job and I must say that when it comes to her gun, she can handle it better that you could ever dream of doin' yerself!"

Spy snapped his fingers and puffed on his cigarette. 

"Exactly! Now do you know how people in our line of work call her?"

"Yeah I know her name! Your threats don't work on me, you lyin' bastard."

"Hahaha! I don't mean her actual name, but her _nickname!_ Do you know it?"

"N-no, I don't but I don't care to know it either!"

"Oh I beg to differ!" He said, triumphant. His put a fist elegantly behind his back. 

"Spy, please, no…" She begged him. "I will do whatever you want but please no, he knows enough as it is, I've put him in enough danger, _s'il te plaît_ , don't make it worse…"

[Please] 

And with that French expression, she dropped the last bit of the act she had been pulling off.

"You should have thought carefully before trying to lie to me." He coldly answered. 

"Drop it, Spy, you've won alroight! But wait, riddle me this, ya filthy liar…"

The Frenchman raised an eyebrow. 

"... You have cats, roight?"

Leila raised an eyebrow in surprise. She had no idea where her friend was going.

"Very observant of you, I am impressed." The Frenchman added sarcastically. 

"Have you ever looked at yer cat's eyes when she sees food or when she's about to pounce on a prey?"

"Oui, what about it, Bushman?"

"What do her eyes do in that case?"

"Where is this going?"

"Just answer me." 

The Frenchman sighed. 

"She opened big round eyes and her pupils dilate enormously." He answered in a dull and monotonous voice. But Leila's eyes widened and her pupils shrank. Her heart woke up brutally and was pounding in her chest. She now knew where her friend was going but before she could say anything, the Australian smirked and said:

"Roight, you know why her eyes do that?"

"Because she wants the food, quite simply, now can you please get to the point with all this, _if_ there is one, that is."

She wanted to stop her friend, but her curiosity won over.

"Oh but there is, ya mongrel. My point is _:_ why do _your_ pupils dilate when you talk to _our_ Spy _?"_

The RED Spy's breath cut sharp and he blushed beneath his mask.

"I do _not_ do such a thing!" He shouted.

"Yes you bloody do, I saw it with me own eyes! Also, she knows who _you_ are! Ha! She knows yer name and that you're one hell of a spy in yer home country! What d'you say to that, eh?"

The Frenchman burst into laughter which irritated Sniper further. He was about to jump at him when he felt his friend plant her hand on his thigh and dig her fingers in to hold him back. 

"Hahahahaaa! What I say? I say that who _doesn't_ know who I am in the secret services, especially in France!? Of course she knows who I am and being Marc's disciple, she learnt the same things that he did and do you know where he got it all? From _our time together_ , Marc and I! The codes you use, the gestures, the way you move on the battlefield, all this was from Marc yes, _and me!"_

She raised her eyes to him. 

"You're a monster." She said. "I said I will do whatever you want for you to stop involving Sniper in this, he has parents who are waiting for him back home!"

She sprang to her feet and tried to grab the Frenchman by the collar but he saw it coming and putting his cigarette between his lips, he took her by her wrists, stopping her sharp, their faces a few inches away.

"Have you no respect! Do you even understand the concept of a family you can come back to?!" She yelled and she didn't know it, but she struck a very sensitive nerve in the Frenchman. 

His fist flew fast, but her reflexes were faster than his and she dodged it. Sniper's jaw had dropped. He sprang up and tried to pull them apart. 

"Stop it, ya bloody mongrel, you were about to hit a woman!"

"I know and I know she's perfectly able to dodge it. Non, _Princesse des Rêves!"_

She couldn't hold back a gasp and she smacked her gloved hand in front of her mouth.

"Princess of Dreams?" Sniper asked, dumbfounded. 

"Oh, I see she's also taught you some French!" He applauded sarcastically. "Oui indeed that was her nickname, do you know why?"

"S-spy…"

The Frenchman ignored her and stared the Australian in the eye as he said:

"Your _girlfriend_ here has the reputation of a lady who starts by killing you with her eyes before she does with her revolver. In French, the beginning of the word 'revolver' is very close to how we pronounce 'rêve', which means 'dream' as you understood."

"What?" The Australian was confused and looked at his friend, bewildered. Her eyes were glistening with the tears she was trying to hold back.

"She was nicknamed 'Princess of Dreams' because she knew how to make herself dangerously attractive and desirable, the lady of any man's dream, and then she would always kill in the same way, with a single bullet to the skull…"

The Frenchman mimicked the revolver with his fingers, putting it against his own temple. 

"....Boom!"

"You're wrong." She said, still defeated.

"And you still try to lie…? Do you want me to call Marc here and now, in front of him?" The Frenchman pointed at Sniper. 

"Non, but you're still wrong. I would rarely put the bullet through the temple."

Sniper's jaw dropped.

"Is what he's saying true?!" The Australian asked. 

"Go on, _Princesse,_ tell him." 

[Princess]

"Oui, Sniper. I used to… I used to specialise in assassinations of men because…"

"Because you're a pretty girl…?"

She sadly nodded.

"I used my looks to my advantage, all the time. That was part of the missions, yes. But on top of that, it turned out I was quite gifted with guns, so becoming a spy made sense; although I only discovered that _gift_ after meeting Marc. He was the one to help me when I was _only_ a 'pretty girl', as you say."

"But the young girl grew to be not only as beautiful as they can get, but also deadly." The Frenchman added. "To be honest, I had had echoes of a lady spy who could kill with her eyes. I had heard the rumors and the stories, the stuff of myths, really. But I had never thought I could meet you in the flesh."

"Wait, hold on…" Sniper sat back on the sofa. "You're tellin' me that she's the stuff of legends now?"

The Frenchman nodded. 

"Indeed she is."

"But you've always told me you weren't that great a spy!" 

Leila sat on the sofa again. 

"And I lied." She answered. 

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to keep you out of harm's way."

Sniper opened big round eyes.

"To be perfectly honest, I can only understand what you did, _Leila."_ The Frenchman said, turning his back to both of them and staring at the flames dancing in the fireplace.

"I see you know all that there is to know about me." She answered. "Even my name. May I ask how you convinced Marc to tell you all this about me? It strikes me as odd that he would give me away like that." 

"He did so because I asked him. Leila, we were very dear friends back in the days. I think he is the closest I could get to a brother."

"Hm, he must trust you a lot." She said. 

"Indeed. But pray believe me, I too have a sense of family, a very strict one. I understand why you didn't want to tell your companion about all this."

"Spy, please, for the last time, Sniper is to me what Marc is to you: a brother. I have absolutely no love interest with him."

"Same fer me." Sniper added. 

The Frenchman slowly turned to them.

"Well, I do believe it might be a first for you, non? A man who doesn't fall to your feet?" He asked. 

"It happens as frequently for me as it does to you, only it's males with me and females with you." She answered.

The Frenchman's eyebrows jumped in surprise. He smiled, but not in contempt or pride. 

"Ah, those were the days…" He said, his eyes dreaming away. He removed his jacket, throwing on the nearby armchair and put his hands in his pockets. He resumed his back and forth motion. 

"Hold on," Sniper said, even more confused. "How did we go from punching each other back to normal again?"

Both Spies exchanged a conniving glance. He was looking down at her as he was standing whereas she was sitting on the sofa. And she leant back in her seat.

"Shall we tell him?" The Frenchman asked his counterpart. 

"I will leave that pleasure to you, mon ami." She answered gesturing for him to go ahead. 

[My friend]

"Oh no please, ladies first." The RED Frenchman answered, bowing slightly to her. 

"If you insist…"

"But I do, _Princesse."_ He added and he couldn't see it but she felt hot, her ears burnt under her balaclava. 

"In that case," She turned to Sniper. "This is what happens when-"

"When two Spooks tell the truth." 

He cut her and raised an index. 

"Your kind is another species, Spooks…" He got off the couch and went to the door. "I'll see you later, you've confused me enough!"

Both the French masked agents chuckled. The Australian waved goodbye to his friend and nodded to the man in RED. They reciprocated and he left, closing the door after him. 

The sound of the door closing was a relief somehow. It marked the end of the animosity between the two spies. As they say in French, "they had buried the war axe"... 

He looked down at her and she stared back at him for a while. Eventually he chuckled and headed for the small kitchenette. He soon came back with two glasses of water. 

"Merci." She said as she took the glass he was offering her. He nodded as he sat down next to her. He put an arm on the sofa's back and he looked at her more keenly. Her eyes were big, with long eyelashes, like a black panther's. On her side of things, she was fighting to maintain eye contact with his very fair blue eyes. For a moment, he looked like a white leopard, the cold of the color of his eyes sending shivers down her spine. The surrounding silence was deafening. Her eyes were very dark, but he could nonetheless see her pupils dilate. 

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading!

As always, comments are greatly appreciated :)

See you guys! :D

  
  
  



	21. Chapter 21

"Medic, your food is actually nice!" 

Scout had not eaten, but rather  _ emptied the content of his plate down his throat _ . 

"Danke, Scout." 

Everyone was around the dinner table, including the RED Spy. The BLU team was now fully used to him being in their ranks and ignored the colour of his suit. It was Scout's turn for the dishes and he collected the plates and cutlery. The mercenaries were standing up to get to their respective room when-

"Gentlemen." The RED Frenchman interrupted everyone's movement. "I would like to have a word with you all to share what we, along with your Spy," She nodded. "have been able to get about the enemy."

"You've gone on a recon mission?!" Soldier exclaimed. 

"Non, we stayed here."

"How did you get more intel on them?" Engie asked. 

The two French masked agents exchanged a conniving smile. 

"We simply did." She said.

"Alrighty, I s'ppose you spies have your way…!" 

The Frenchman resumed his speech while Scout took away the empty plate in front of him.

"The enemy who abducted my team, if I may say so, consists of robots."

"Wait whot?!" Demo opened his one eye wide. 

"Indeed," She confirmed. "And that's not all. But, Spy, don't let me interrupt you." 

"Oh, please, we've found this out together, go ahead if you want."

"No," She answered. "You started, you finish."

Sniper raised an eyebrow as he followed the exchange like a tennis match, his eyes going left to the Frenchman and in front for his friend.

"Fine," The man in a red suit said and continued. "Those robots follow a class system similar to ours. And, for what we could see, they do have all nine classes." 

"Interesting…" Medic put a hand to his chin. 

"We've seen the Scouts, the Soldiers, the Demomen etc. and they carry the same weapons as we do. Now, the only issue is that they're not nine if them. Each class has multiple copies of the same mercenary."

"How many?" Heavy asked. 

"That, we do not know unfortunately."

"Hm…"

"Engineer?"

"Yeah?"

"Still no news from the Administrator?" The BLU Spy asked. 

"Nope, still nothin'."

"It might be worth sending her the message again."

"Yeah, will do. Also, Spah, I had a look at your sketches. I gotta say, they're damn precise! I'm impressed! First you know your way with electricals and now this? You studied engineerin' or sciences?"

"Wait, what do you mean he knows his way with electricals?" The Frenchman asked. 

"Well, with all due respect Spy, if I were to put you in front of the general electric panel, would you be able to turn on or off the electricity in your room?"

"I doubt I could." 

"Well  _ our _ Spah can! But anyway, thanks for the sketches pardner, I'll have a careful look at them and see what else I could get from it."

She simply nodded, not seeing the Frenchman's eyes on her, smiling faintly. But when her eyes turned from Engineer to Spy, she lowered her gaze. He was staring at her and she still couldn't handle the man's piercing glance. 

"Roight, if we're done here…" Sniper said, pushing his chair back. 

"Oui, I said all I needed. Thanks." 

"Then, Spook, d'you mind comin' to me van for a bit?"

"Non, of course not, let's go." 

The BLU Sniper and Spy went out and the table emptied. 

_ \-- Sniper's van -- _

"You wanted to talk to me about something?" She asked as she sat on the couch. 

"Yeah, well, I just wanted to point out the fact that you're seem to be gettin' along better and better with the other Spook." 

He sat next to her.

"I think I do indeed."

"I rarely see you anymore at breakfast."

She heard a hint of sadness. 

"Oh, I'm sorry Snoop."

"Nah it's fine, it's good that you can stand him. After all, you have to live together, you two might as well try to get along."

She nodded. 

"But what was that  _ 'gentlemen's battle of politeness'  _ at the dinner table?"

"What?" She asked. 

" _ Spy don't let me interrupt you…Oh no don't worry it's fine…" _

"Oh, that…!" She laughed. "Oh that's just being polite."

He raised his index. 

"Yeah nah, it's not just bein' polite."

"Yes it is!"

"Nah, Princess, I can see it's different with him."

"And that's coming from you?" She said, raising an playful eyebrow.

"Huh?"

"Well, Spy thought that we were together, so…"

"Ah, yeah, true. If I were more into girls, we might have been eh? Who knows?"

"Who knows indeed!"

"Although, now that you mention it, he really insists on that." Sniper said. 

"On what?"

"Believin' we're a couple."

  
  


_ \-- Engie's garage -- _

The knock was loud enough that the Texan man heard it on top of his machines. 

"Come in!" 

The door opened and to his wildest surprise, the RED Spy came in. 

"Sorry to bother you, Engineer."

"Nah, it's fine." The man in the hard hat wiped his hands on an already very dirty rug. "What can I do for you? Somethin' needs repairin'?"

"Uhm, not exactly, non, I wanted to ask you something, if I may have some of your time." 

"Go ahead." 

"It's about what you said earlier about Spy."

Engineer removed his goggles and put them on his forehead. 

"What about him?"

"You said he was good with electricals?"

"Yeah, I was really surprised. I didn't expect him to know anythin' about it."

"Does he have other hidden talents?" The Frenchman elegantly lit a cigarette.

"Well clearly technical drawings, I mean look at that…!" 

The Texan pointed at the wall were he had hung his colleague's sketches. 

"God knows what else he knows. He's a surprise and a half that man…"

"Indeed he is…" 

The short man turned to face his visitor. 

"But why do you ask?"

"Oh, simple curiosity."

"Ah."

"I won't bother you any longer, thank you very much Engineer."

"Well I didn't do anythin'!"

The Frenchman closed the door after him and smiled to himself. 

_ Oh oui, tu m'as grandement aidé.  _

_ [Oh yes, you did a lot!] _

_ \-- Spy's room -- _

The Frenchman knocked. 

"Entre!"

[Come in!]

He pushed the door and closed it right after himself. 

"You're back from Sniper's van?" He asked with a teasing tone in his voice. 

"And you've been smoking…"

He was about to sit on the sofa next to her but stopped sharp. She was drawing on her sketchbook and raised her head, surprised that he came to a halt in front of her. He was taken aback. She was wearing a lady's night dress under her dressing gown. The dress was cut to her knee and her thin and long caramel tinted legs flowed under the red satin dressing gown. 

Of course he knew she was a lady so he shouldn't be that surprised. He nonetheless couldn't but take a moment to take in the view. 

"Are you alright?" 

"Oh, uh, oui, quite alright, pardon me." He stammered and he sat on the armchair next to the sofa. He didn't want to disturb her in her drawing and seeing how she was very protective of her sketchbook, he didn't want to sit next to her and give her the impression that he would look over her shoulder. Non, he respected her privacy.

Silence fell for a while. The lead of her pencil was scratching her sketchbook and he was watching it all.

She seemed very focused on the task at hand, frowning and biting her lip sometimes. She had a very expressive face when she drew, he could almost read her like a book. Her eyebrows, her eyes, her lips, they were all telling the story that her pencil was drawing. His eyes followed the line of her neck, below her ear. She had large yet thin shoulders, a very thin waist and long legs. She really was a woman, no doubt about that. Amazing how an outfit can change the way one sees someone else. He was used to seeing her in suits and tie, and they suited her very well. But what he had under his eyes right now,  _ that _ was something else…!

The kittens were playing around her, some on the floor, some next to her on the sofa. Perle was laying on the lady spy's lap. She would sometimes lose her fingers in the lady cat's white fur as she paused from her drawing and the cat would purr a bit louder.

The Frenchman had leant back on his seat, crossing one leg on the other. He rested his elbows on the armrests left and right, and laced his finger together. He tilted his head on the side, enjoying the view. 

He was breathing slowly and his heart was gently beating, his eyelids half closed. He was looking at her through the curtain of his long black eyelashes. 

His eyes moved to the dancing flames in the fireplace and he sighed. Without looking at him she said:

_ "Coeur qui soupire n'a pas ce qu'il désire." _

_ [A heart that sighs is not getting what it desires.] _

He looked at her, his lips parted in surprise. 

"I had almost forgotten that you really are French." He said.

"Then I'd say I'm pretty good at my job." She answered, a smile on her lips. 

"Indeed you are." He confirmed, half whispering to himself. 

But she heard it. She raised her head in a flash and looked him with wide surprised eyes. Did he just compliment her? Him? The best spy France had seen? Non, she must have dreamt it. 

She dived in her drawing again, flustered.

"So, you know your fair share in engineering too?" He asked.

"Well, one has to know the basics nowadays if one wants to be a decent saboteur."

"I do agree. Nowadays, everything is becoming electronic."

She nodded, still absorbed by her drawing. 

"But your Engineer seemed to be genuinely impressed at your skills." 

She paused her drawing but didn't raise her head. He saw it and made a move towards her. He got off the armchair and sat next to her on the sofa.

"And I would say that it requires quite a bit to impress a man with eleven PhDs…"

"Eleven?!"

"Don't fake surprise with me." He said confidently with a smile. 

"Well, impressing men used to be my job." 

"Used to, hm?" 

He was asking for more. She lowered her head, feeling his eyes weigh on her.

"Marc told you my story. What more do you want me to tell?"

"True, true…"

"Although,.." She said raising her eyes. "He never said why  _ you _ left." 

He looked at her with surprised eyes for a split second but very soon resumed his cold-blooded attitude. He adjusted the knot on his tie and frowned. 

"Then he is indeed the best friend I've ever had."

"Do you… Do you want to talk about it?" 

She asked out of politeness,  _ of course. _ He raised his head and looked at her in the eye. And it seized her. She read pain like a never-ending black pit in his eyes. He turned his face away from her and clenched his jaw. 

"It boils down to the same reason why I need to get my team back." He said, turning his back to her. 

She came closer to him on the sofa. He was still giving his back to her. She raised her left hand and shyly watched her own gloved hand hover towards him. It landed on his left shoulder gently, without pressing hard. Non, it was delicately dropped there, like a lilypad on a lake, calmly.

"Hey, I'm not a French spy anymore. I'm a merc- actually no, I'm not even a mercenary as my boss is nowhere to be found. I'm-I'm nothing. Just someone who wants to help."

"Why?" He asked, still not facing her.

"I don't know. I just, I guess…" 

She didn't know what to say. She just wanted to help him. It pained her to see him  _ like that. _ She slid her hand back slowly, to remove it but he quickly put his right hand on top. She gasped silently, stopped and left her gloved hand there, sandwiched between his shoulder and  _ his _ gloved hand.

"Merci." He simply said, whispering to cover the slight crack in his voice. 

She stayed in place, not moving by an inch. His head was hanging low and his eyes were screwed shut. He pressed his hand on hers and then relaxed a bit as he took a deep breath and sighed. 

She wanted to say so many things, she wanted to tell him that she'd do her utmost to help him get his team back, she wanted to tell him that she's there for him… But above all she was moved by what he was showing. 

Him, the best spy she's ever heard of, he was letting his distress show in front of her. She felt honoured, privileged. But she also felt the responsibility. He was confiding in her, even if it was wordless. He was showing that he trusted her enough to show his feelings. Even if he was giving his back to her, she felt it all. A powerful gust of torment, like a freezing wave, washed her on the inside.

She didn't know how to react. Was his hand holding her to ask for help wordlessly? Was it something else? What  _ else _ could it be? And how should she react? He was stepping far beyond his comfort zone by showing her that. She had to react accordingly. She had to show him that he could trust her. 

"Lucien?" 

That was wild. He raised his head in a flash when he heard his name. His heart woke up violently in his chest and his mouth had gone dry. 

"Oui?" He said, out of breath even though he hadn't uttered a word. 

"Je suis là pour toi."

[I'm here for you.]

She said in a whisper, not daring to disturb the silence that was his solace.

Or so she thought. 

He was holding on to her hand as he would to a branch down a ravine. He felt as if his feet were dangling in emptiness and that thin branch, that bit of Mother Nature that was still linking him to life, that was still giving him hope,  _ all that _ was contained in her hand on his shoulder. It was radiating a sweet warmth, something he hadn't realised he had been craving for. He wanted to feel it everywhere, he wanted her to leave her hand there for as long as it would take for the warmth to diffuse everywhere in him. His skin was hot, he had pins and needles on the tips of his fingers. She was managing to blow the life that he had put out back in his body. 

His eyes were still tightly shut but he felt them turn hot and the water naturally came up.

"I quitted my position as a spy because greater responsibilities were waiting for me." 

She stared at him from behind and tilted her head on the side. His sad shoulders, his slim neck hidden under the balaclava.

"Greater responsibilities?"

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading!

I realise some of you might hate me because of the cliff-hangers,  _ my apologies :D ! _

More to come soon, stay tuned! 

  
  
  
  



	22. Chapter 22

"Greater responsibilities?" 

The Frenchman sighed. 

"Oui. Far greater than me I think. But I wanted to try, to do my best. I would have dropped everything for that, and I did. I quitted my job, I even changed my name, forged myself a new identity." 

"Oh…"

"It happened when I was much younger than you and I are now. I thought I had found something that I didn't even know I was looking for." 

She moved closer to his back. 

"I was foolish and thought myself better than everyone else. I laughed at people who fell in battle because of their mistakes, because they got distracted, because they weren't entirely focusing on the mission at hand. Until it happened to me. I got addicted to  _ it  _ like a drug. I even dropped smoking entirely."

He paused to catch his breath. He could just about feel her right behind him. 

"Has it ever happened to you, Leila?"

"What?"

"Something happens in your life and flips it upside down entirely. Suddenly everything changes, the food you eat tastes different, you go outside and the rain is but a gentle tickle on your skin, the grey sky is blue just in your eyes, the river is the colour of hers and the satin scarf you're wearing has her perfume on it…"

She felt his heartache and moved her fingers ever so slightly, just to brush his shoulder, to comfort him. He turned his head slightly towards her hand. It didn't stop her. He lifted his hand from hers ever so slightly for her to move her fingers more easily.

"Stability. The drug I was high on was not even love. It was the illusion of stability. I-I…"

"Shhh…" She leant her head against his back. She could hear his heartbeat. It make him crack. He couldn't see it but she had closed her eyes, her cheek against his back. She inhaled deeply and smelled it again, his expensive perfume, like the day he had caught her in the middle of the map. There was something in that smell. 

"I was ready to build a family. She was pregnant and I quitted my job as a spy. It was all going smoothly and I messed it up. The greatest regret I've ever had in my life and I still carry the burden of the mistake I've made to this day."

He took her hand away from his shoulder and her eyes snapped open. She backed off. What was she thinking anyway? Getting that close to him, physically, invading his personal space. He was letting her in his life opening a shy door to her but she was leaning against it with all her weight to push through. What a disrespectful and reckless move from her part! She wanted to apologise, her heart raced and she felt hot. 

He didn't let her hand go completely. He turned towards her, still far from facing her but just enough that he could take her hand and lay it on his own, on his thigh. He then traced every finger with his index finger. He stared at it while resuming his speech.

"I was young, foolish, and addicted to this  _ 'happy ever after'  _ feeling. When she left, I came back to the Ministry and turned to work, alcohol and cigarettes to drown my pain. I overworked myself and indeed, I became dangerously competent as a cold-blooded murderer, a saboteur, a man who specialised in impossible assassinations, impossible rescue missions, impossible anything that the government threw at me. Whatever it was, I took it, chewed on it and spat it done."

"And you became the best spy on the face of the Earth." She finally found the courage to interrupt him.

He raised his eyes to look her in the eye. 

"I'm not so sure. I killed, sabotaged and rescued until I realised that through all these years I had done nothing, achieved nothing, but kill on command. I was just a pawn that the Ministry could send left or right to deal with a situation."

She wanted to do more for him.

"Leila?"

"Oui?" She looked him in the eye for a split second.

"The RED Scout… He is the young boy that  _ she _ was carrying in her womb when she left me. That's why I need my team back. I have to make sure he's safe." 

Her jaw dropped and he turned his head away. He knew what was incoming now, the 'how dare you go when your lady is waiting for a baby', the 'ungrateful, irresponsible father who abandons his lover as soon as she gets pregnant'. He had heard it all before, countless times and he-

"Does he know?"

"Non."

"Does his mother know that you work with him?"

"Non."

"Does she know what you've just told me?"

"That I regret my behaviour? Non, she doesn't."

Surely she would now tell him how an awful father he was. A coward father.

"I'll help you find him." 

His head pivoted to her. 

"What?"

"I said I'll help you find your son." 

He couldn't but feel like that was some kind of cunning trap she was setting for him. He released her hand and turned his back to her again. 

"I… Thank you. I won't need much of your help and you've been helping greatly as it is already." His voice was cold, emotionless. He was answering words that he had put together like the bricks of a wall behind which he was trying to hide.

"Lucien," She took his arm and pulled it to make him turn such that he was now facing her. Her big black eyes were riveted on his. It was still hard to maintain eye contact with him, but she gathered the strength and courage for it. "I  _ will _ help you." 

"Even after what I've done to you?" He asked. 

"What do you mean?" 

"I've revealed your identity to Sniper, I've pushed you to tears, I've… I'm such an idiot." 

He put his hands on his face and bent forward and continued speaking.

"I do apologise… You-you really are something else. You manage to be a  _ kind  _ spy, someone who is both professional and kind-hearted. I've never met anyone like you before."

Her jaw had dropped and her heart stopped. 

"I needed to call Marc to ask him… There was no other way."

"To do what?"

He removed his hands from his face and straightened up. He leant back on the sofa.

"There was no other way to know who you were,  _ what _ you were. I had seen you with your team, with your Sniper in particular. Was it all a show? Were you pretending to be good friends with him for some reason? But non… Marc told me that  _ that's _ what you really are. The best spy, better than any other I've met before, and better still than me."

"Non…" She barely managed to utter the word as she was overwhelmed with surprise. 

"Even now, you begged me to spare your friend, which I didn't do, and you still insist on helping me, and I know you're not lying."

He paused to collect his thoughts and raised his index finger. 

"I know you're not lying because of the way you look at me." 

She lowered her head and looked away. She felt the heat of the embarrassment.

"Do you remember what your Sniper said earlier about Perle's eyes?" 

She screwed her eyes shut. 

"Yours do the same." 

"Cut the crap, Spy." She said drily. 

"Oh now I've come back to Spy? What did I do to deserve that, hm? I'm just plainly telling the truth."

She wrapped her dressing gown tighter around her waist. 

"Maybe. But what Sniper said remains true. Your eyes do it too." She answered.

He smiled. 

"As they should. Have you ever looked at a man in the eye and not seen it?"

"Non, I have, countless times. But the same applies to you, have you ever met the eyes of a lady who didn't do that?"

"I cannot recall… And yet here we are, having a chat on your sofa and you can't look at me in the eye. Why is that?"

She bit her lip. 

"Each time I cross your gaze, you lower your eyes or look away. What is it that you don't want to see in my eyes?" 

She couldn't answer and felt naked under his sharp eyes. She hated it. Leila took her sketchbook and pencil and went to her room, leaving the Frenchman alone. 

\--  _ Next day -- _

Leila had gone to the kitchen to share her breakfast with Sniper.

"Oh, hey Spook! What a surprise!"

"Good morning, Sniper."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Crickey, someone's in a foul mood. What's the problem, Princess?"

She prepared her mug of coffee and sat down at the table. He sat next to her. 

"It's the RED Spy again?" He asked and she nodded. 

"He's a nightmare." 

"Why? What did he do again? D'you want me to go and-" Sniper started to push his chair back to stand up.

"Non, non, please Lawrence." She pulled him to sit down again. "He's just… I don't know what to make of him. He's… He's weird." 

"How weird?"

"He… He apologised for what he did."

"Well comin' from him that's weird alroight, I'll give you that. And why d'you think that bloody mongrel did that?"

"I don't know. He then went on to say that I was a better spy that him," The Australian nodded to confirm. "that I was kind-hearted and…"

"And?" 

"And that he'd never met someone like me before."

"I'm not even going to bother askin' if he was tellin the truth."

She raised an eyebrow. 

"What?" 

"With the way he looked at you yesterday before I left, I'm pretty sure he's telling the truth."

"Oh I'm tired of this!" She exclaimed. "I'm tired of the way everyone looks at everyone! He looks at me normally and I look at him normally, ok?" She said angrily.

The Australian shook his head. 

"Nah, right before I left you yesterday, he was looking at you not like he looks at me. He likes ya."

"Argh! Please, can we stop talking about that?!" She asked, furious.

"Alroight, alroight, I'm just sayin'..." He took the final sip of his coffee and put the mug back on the table with a cling. "Anythin' else you want to talk about?" 

"Yes actually."

He gave her his full attention.

"He said I never looked him in the eye for too long."

"But Leila, you just said-" His sentence was interrupted by her index finger on his lips.

"The problem is he's right. For some reason, I can't do that. But that's not all… I… He…" She looked right and left and saw the kitchen door was still open. She got up, releasing her finger from her friend's lips and went to close it. 

She came back and sat next to him. 

"Somehow, we found ourselves hand on hand and-"

"Now that-" He tried to speak and gain, her finger flashed to his lips. She didn't need to hear anything about that. That wasn't the point anyway.

"And… Uh… It's…"

She felt it below her gloves, his lips were stretching into a smile and when she looked at him, he was wiggling his eyebrows. 

"You're insufferable!" She said, releasing her finger and dropping her shoulders. She felt defeated.

"Hey, Princess?"

"Hm?"

"It's fine, I got it."

"Non you didn't."

"Yes I did."

"Non."

"Leila…?"

She sighed. 

"I'll see you later." She answered and left the kitchen, leaving Sniper alone. 

_ \-- Later that day, Sniper's van -- _

There was a knock at the door. The Australian's ears pricked up. It was not the usual knock. 

"Who's there?"

"It's me." 

The voice was too low to be Leila's and the "ee" sound was too flat. No, that was… Sniper's eyebrows jumped in surprise. He went to the door and opened it. 

"Yeah?"

"May I? I need to talk to you." 

"If ya have to…" The Australian opened the door wider and let the visitor in the red suit enter.

"It's about Leila." 

"Yeah I guessed as much. What about her?"

"I… Look, it's hard enough to come  _ to you _ to ask a favour, don't make this any harder that it needs to." The Frenchman said. 

"And why would I make it easy? Since you've arrived, you've only caused problems. She was furiously confused this mornin' for breakfast."

"Oh? What do you mean?" 

Sniper motioned the RED Spy to sit on his couch and the Frenchman did. The Australian remained standing, leaning against his slim kitchen top behind him.

"Not more than what I just said. She's  _ confused. _ She thinks you're weird."

"Why?"

"Mainly 'cause she can't wrap her head around ya." 

"Ah… I see. Well, I definitely feel the same. She's… Something else, something new. But that's not why I've come to see you. I need to ask a favour." 

"What is it?"

"You're not refusing straight away?"

"Oi, don't get any funny ideas, my back is tellin' me to grab a kukri and slice you up."

"So why the uncharacteristic generosity?"

"Because I got the feelin' that favour of yours is fer Leila."

The Frenchman smiled. 

"You're more clever than I thought."

"And you're still a worthless mongrel, but spit it out. What d'you need?"

"I need you to drive me to my base." 

"What?! I don't even know how to get there through the roads! And why d'you wanna go back, you forgot some stuff there?"

"I need to retrieve something but going by foot is too dangerous and I'm not crossing the map alone."

"And you don't want to ask her to go with you because she's pissed off at you, eh?"

"Partly, yes. But also because…"

The Frenchman tried to pick his words carefully. He didn't want to say anything that could be misinterpreted.

"Because?" Sniper was pressuring him not like he would do with Leila. With her, it was to help; with him, it was to annoy him. 

And it was working. The Frenchman sighed and frowned. 

"Because I have something in mind. Now, are you willing to help me?" He asked impatiently. 

"Not before you tell me more. I'm not riskin' my skin and my van for you to get some extra pants from yer base." 

"Mon Dieu you are unbearable… It's for  _ her _ , it's to make it up to her. Now, please, will you do it? You're the only one with some sort of a vehicle here."

"There we go, it wasn't  _ that  _ hard now was it?" The Australian said mockingly. 

"What?"

"To say that you were preparin' something for her!"

The Frenchman rolled his eyes up and put a hand on his face. Sniper knew it was to hide his blush more than it was to let his exasperation out.

"Oh, uh, one last thing, Spy."

"Oui?"

"What you said about her… I understand it's all true and that it puts me in danger."

"Indeed it does. Now you know the location of the best female spy the Earth has seen. A lot of countries around the world would be ready to spare an enormous of money to count her in their forces, especially France of course."

"Yeah but I don't really mind. Lots of folks after my head, addin' a few countries doesn't change much, nah, I was gonna ask  _ you _ to not tell anyone where she is."

"What?"

"Well ya said it yerself: people are ready to pay atrocious amounts of money to get her so I'm guessin' if you go to one of them and tell them where she is, they will pay  _ you _ a gigantic amount too." 

"I guess so but-"

"So now it's my turn to say somethin'. If I learn one day that you gave her away, I'll track you down, find you and you see this…?"

The Australian put a hand in his vest and got a bullet for his rifle out. It was a golden shining, five-centimetre long bullet.

"... You'll go to bed one day and wake up to this between yer eyes." 

Spy looked at the bullet and smirked. Sniper was toying with it, threw it up and catching it again. He threw it up again but it didn't land in his hand.

"What-?"

The Australian looked ta the ground to see if it had fallen on the floor.

"That was mildly menacing but now my turn to tell you something, filthy jar-man. First, I do not take threats."

The Frenchman extended his clenched fist and when he opened it, the golden bullet laid in the palm of his hand.

"Second, I would never put her in danger."

"Well after what you revealed you me, you bloody did, you're lucky I don't give a damn about Spooks' business!" 

Sniper took the bullet and put it in his vest pocket again.

" _ I  _ am personally making sure no one will ever find her."

"Ya what?"

"Marc asked me where she was and I lied to him. I lied to my best friend, my brother in arm, the one I saved during the war because he's like my blood brother, the one man who asked me to be his best man for his wedding. The only person who knows me, and I've lied to him."

Sniper extended his hand. 

"When and where are we goin'?"

The Frenchman stood up and shook it. 

"As soon as you want."

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading!

As always, comments are my fuel so don't hesitate :)

See you!

  
  
  



	23. Chapter 23

"So, d'you know how we can get to yer base?" 

"But of course. I will guide you."

The RED Spy and BLU Sniper were now at the front of the van. It was late at night but Spy didn't want to delay things further. As for Sniper, he was curious to see what the Frenchman wanted to get for his friend. 

"Roight." 

He turned the key and the van roared. Off they went on their journey. 

"So, uhm, why did you lie to your friend Mark?"

"Oh it's temporary."

"What d'you mean?"

"I don't mean to lie to him forever. But for now, he doesn't need to know where she is."

"I s'ppose your roight… But what if you tell him where she is? I guess he'll try to get her back."

"Indeed, he will  _ try. _ "

The Australian felt that he was missing the exact meaning of that sentence, but for now, as long as the RED Spy doesn't talk, that will do. Silence fell until Sniper slapped his own forehead.

"Oi! Wait a second!"

Spy almost got startled on his seat.

"So when you insisted to tell me who she was, you were actually takin' no risks! You know I'd never turn up on her but you did it just to impress her!"

The Frenchman sat back and lit a cigarette with a smirk. 

"You're definitely more clever than I expected a jar-man to be…"

"But wait, she doesn't know that! In her head you really did sell her out to me!"

"... A bit slow, but far from stupid, I'll give you that, Monsieur  _ Snoop." _

"Oi! Only  _ she  _ can call me that!" 

The Frenchman chuckled and puffed on his cigarette. 

"Ah yes, you have only one place in your heart and it's for her…" The RED Spy said. 

"Nah, mate, that'd be you."

Lucien gasped and choked on his own saliva. He coughed multiple times while the Australian, who had burst in laughter, was wiping the tears off his eyes. 

"You say such things again and you'll find a blade between your shoulders, Bushman!"

"Oh come on!"

Silence fell again for a moment. 

"Spy?"

"Hm?"

The Frenchman coughed again from time to time as he guided his driver to his base.

"D'you still think that our Spook and I are together?"

"Does it matter?"

The Australian didn't know what to make of that answer. But before he could answer anything, the Frenchman interrupted his thought.

"Drive slower, we're nearly there."

"Roight." 

Sniper changed down gears. 

"Alright, stop here. That's the base."

Spy pointed at the only building standing there. He opened the van's door and elegantly stepped out.

"Shall I wait for you here?" 

"When you see me, floor it and follow me. Understood?"

"What do you mean follow you? You're gonna run away with yer-oi! Spy!"

The Frenchman shut the door and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Sniper sighed and raised his hands, dropping them in exasperation.

"Spooks will be spooks I guess…" 

The Australian leant back in his seat and waited. He got an old magazine from the glove box and started reading. He knew it more or less by heart. It was just to keep his eyes busy and pass the time. It didn't take a long time before the Australian, who was just casting a glance at the base, saw his now partner in crime rush past him. 

"Crickey! Spy!"

The Australian floored it as he was told and followed the Frenchman, in the dust of the spy's dark blue italian car. 

_ \-- Next day, late afternoon -- _

"You've spent the whole day on this sofa."

Leila exited her room and wondered if the man sitting on the couch wasn't but a decoy made of plastic. He had been sitting there more or less the entire day. 

"And you've spent the whole day in your room."

He answered and put the magazine he was reading down. 

"Hm, whatever." 

She looked tired. He looked more intensely and realised she was walking a bit hunched, her dressing gown tightly wrapped around her waist. 

_ Ah. _

He nodded to himself and got off the sofa while he heard her go to the bathroom. When she got out, it smelled of… fennel?

"Please sit down here."

Her eyebrows jumped.

"What is this?" She asked as she sat down. She pointed at the tray on the coffee table. 

" _ That _ ," The Frenchman said. "is herbal tea."

He sat next to her.

"Oh… What kind?"

Perle and her kittens came to surround her on the sofa. 

"This is a fennel seed herbal tea."

"Oh?"

"It's good, try it. I recommend you take it with a bit of sugar."

She put one sugar cube and he handed her a spoon. He took a mug himself and poured some tea.

"Hm…! It's really good… Thank you. But what's the occasion?"

"Uhm, let's say I think it's good for you…  _ now… _ " 

He didn't know how to make her understand.

"I-I mean… I guess you're in… uh… some sort of pain… and… argh, I should just shut up, I'm making this awkward. Just drink it." 

She got hot under her mask and if she could, she would have blushed. She stared at her mug to not face his gaze. He wasn't looking at her anyway, what he had said was very intimate and he understood if she just wanted to take her mug and go away. But the lady nonetheless remained at his side.

"You should get a hot water bottle. I'm told it works wonders for this kind of pain." He added.

"Uhm… Thanks. I-I don't know how you guessed it and why you're uh… argh, you're right. It just makes it awkward." 

He chuckled and she smiled. 

"Princesse?" 

"Oui?"

"How do you feel?"

She opened wide surprised eyes. 

"Uhm, my lower back hurts but I should be fine, this herbal tea helps... Why?"

"If you feel like it, I would like to take you somewhere for dinner." 

Her heart dropped on the floor and she nearly spat out the tea in her mouth.

"What?"

"It is to ask for forgiveness for my most rude behaviour the other day and show my gratitude for what you've been doing for me."

"Oh, you don't need to go through that much trouble."

"Indeed I don't. There's this restaurant I would like to try but I don't want to go there alone."

"So it's not to ask for forgiveness but to try some food and not be alone, hm?"

She smirked.

"Non, that's not what I meant. I would like to try this restaurant in good company."

"Oh now I'm good company, am I?"

"Well, you're better company than Sniper…"

"As if you'd go with him!"

"Fair point. I would never even ask him. Also I'm sure he wouldn't be able to tell the difference between an old sandal and a croissant…"

She burst out laughing and he turned to face her, hiding his smile behind his mug as he took a sip. 

"I will go with you." She finally said. "What time should I be ready for?"

"In about two hours, would that work for you?" 

"Sure." 

She put her mug back on the table and was about to get up but Perle on her lap decided otherwise. 

" _ S'il te plaît, Perle?" _

[Please Perle?] 

The lady cat sat up but instead of moving away, she stood on her back paws and put her front ones on the edges of the lady spy's mask, on her cheeks. 

"What is it, pretty cat?"

"Oh, excuse her, Perle, let her go please." The Frenchman added. 

The lady cat brushed her head against Leila's. 

"Oh, you're adorable Perle…" The BLU Spy said as she hugged the cat and left a kiss on her fur. 

The Frenchman softened. 

"You know, she doesn't let that many people approach her." He said. 

"Just like you and I, non?" Leila answered and Lucien smiled. 

"I guess you're right, Princesse. Oh by the way, you don't mind me calling you like that?" 

"Non, why would I?" 

"You could think that I'm mocking you with your nickname." 

Perle finally trotted away from the embrace and Leila stood off the sofa, her red gown flowing after her, leaving the trail of her perfume whirl in the air. The Frenchman took a deep breath without realising it, as if he wanted to cling to that scent. Leila headed to her room and opened the door but before she went in, she turned to face the Frenchman. 

"Ah, because that's not what you mean?"

He lowered his head to hide the pink on his cheeks, a wide smile on his lips, and saw her disappear in her room. 

"Touché, Mademoiselle." 

He thought to himself and leant back on his seat.

_ \-- Later that day --  _

There was a knock at the door. Sniper recognised it. 

"Come in!" 

The door opened and closed again.

"What d'you need this time Spook?" The Australian looked at the man in the red suit. "And where are you going with that suitcase? You leavin'? Bloody finally!" 

"Bushman, always a pleasure. And non, save that joy for another day, I'm not leaving yet. I have come to take your opinion on something." 

"Go ahead, let's hear it."

"I have brought a couple of suits and I want an external eye to tell me which one would be best." 

"Wait, what? You're comin' to  _ me  _ for fashion advice?!"

"I am as embarrassed as you are surprised, Bushman. But you're the only one I can ask."

"Why?"

"I am taking Leila for dinner tonight." 

If the Australian wasn't already sitting down on his couch, he would have collapsed on it. 

"Ya what now?!" 

"I hope you don't mind if I do,  _ given that you aren't a couple, hm?" _ The Frenchman smirked. 

"Yeah, nah, I mean, we're not together, yeah, but-but wait, oooh!" Lawrence slapped his forehead. "That's why you needed yer car!" 

"Again, slow but far from stupid." Lucien repeated with a smile. "So, can I count on your opinion?"

"Yeah, sure. You can get a change in the bathroom, I'll be waitin' here… Mate, you're a surprise and a half…!" 

The Frenchman nodded and went to change his clothes.

"Yeah, a surprise and a half, just like her." Lawrence whispered to himself. 

A minute later, the RED Spy exited the bathroom in a dark red velvet suit, white shirt, satin Burgundy bowtie. 

"What do you say?"

"It's too red."

"Well indeed it is red…" The Frenchman rolled his eyes. "What else? Do you think it suits me?" 

The Frenchman buttoned and unbuttoned his jacket just to get his fingers to make that movement the most fluidly and elegantly possible.

"Nah, I don't like it."

"It's not about yourself, jar-man… Do you think she'll like it?" 

"I'll keep it in mind, try another one."

"Alright."

The Frenchman disappeared in the bathroom and the Australian smiled to himself. 

_ 'Do you think she'll like it?' He said eh…? _

When he reappeared, it was in dark green. 

"Oh no, that one's very ugly mate, try another one."

The Frenchman sighed. 

"Fine.."

"Ya looked like a Christmas tree all in green like that!"

The RED Spy mumbled something in French under his breath and went to get another change. 

"Spook?" 

"I guess you're trying to address me?" The Frenchman answered from the bathroom. 

"Yeah, yeah I am, listen, why come to me fer advice on how to dress up for this?" 

"Mon Dieu, don't you know already?" A muffled voice from the bathroom answered.

"I might, but just to be sure."

Spy exited the bathroom. 

"Because you're the only one who knows that I planned to repay her generosity. Should I have gone to Engineer or any of the others and they would have harassed me with questions - not that you're not doing it yourself anyway…"

"That suit is the best so far, that's her favourite colour."

"Couldn't you say it right at the start?!"

"What?"

"Why didn't you tell me her favourite colour straight away!"

"Cause what's in all this fer me? I'm givin' you my time and opinion, some people would charge you money fer all that! Let me have my fun!" 

The Australian answered and the Frenchman raised his hands to the sky as if to ask the All-Mighty himself for strength. 

"But that's not all, is it?" Sniper continued. 

"What do you mean?" The voice from the bathroom asked. 

"Well, if you don't say it, I will: you came to me 'cause you know I know her best and you want to make a good impression on her." 

Of course Sniper couldn't see it, but he knew the Frenchman would be embarrassed to hear his own feelings disclosed shamelessly like that. 

"And this suit?" 

The RED Spy exited the bathroom, ignoring what the taller man just said.

"Nah, black's boring. You look like like you're going to someone's funeral. Nah, the previous one was definitely the best." 

"Fine. I will go with that one. Do you have the time?"

"Oh yeah," Sniper looked at his watch. "It's 5.50pm mate."

"In that case, I need to get changed and ready quickly. You don't mind if I use your bathroom, do you?"

Of course the Frenchman wasn't expecting an answer and locked himself up in the bathroom. 

"I swear Spy, it'd better be worth it. Now I've given ya time, my opinion  _ and my bathroom _ for this!"

"Trust me," The voice with the French accent answered "It will be, in your own words,  _ bloody good." _

"Well it'd better be!"

After a few minutes, the RED Spy exited the bathroom.

"How do I look?"

"Same old backstabbin' snake of a-"

"Right, right, why am I even asking…? I will leave this suitcase with you and get it back tomorrow, is that alright with you?"

"I can't say no, can I?"

"Not really. Now I'll go to my car and get it ready, do you mind doing me a last favour?"

"Somethin' tells me this is far from bein' the last one but go ahead." 

"Do you mind getting your Spy from her room and telling her to go and meet me at the front of the base?" 

"Alroight, will do." 

The Australian stood up from his couch. Both men exited the van and Spy headed for his car. 

"Spook?"

The Frenchman stopped and turned to face the taller man. The night was far from falling yet but the sky was slowly turning orange.

"You look great."

The Frenchman's eyebrows jumped but he quickly resumed his usual arrogant and proud behaviour. 

"I know."

"Also-" 

"Oui?"

"Uhm… Be good with her and don't play games. She doesn't deserve it."

"She hasn't told you too much about me I see."

"Huh?" The Australian didn't understand what Spy meant. 

The Frenchman adjusted his bowtie. 

"You should ask her." He simply answered before spinning on his heels and heading for his car. 

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading! 

Thank you also for commenting, I'm glad to see some of you like my scribbles :) 

See you!

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	24. Chapter 24

There was a knock on her door. She recognised it but had to make sure it was Sniper.

"Who is it?"

"It's me." The Australian answered. 

"Oh, uh, come in." She hesitated.

He pushed the door and when his eyes met her, he stopped sharp. 

"Do you-do you mind closing the door please, dear?"

"Oh, yeah, sure, sorry." 

Sniper closed the door and removed his hat. 

"Uhm, you uh, how can I say?"

"Oui, I… Spy wanted to take me out for dinner, to thank me for putting up with him."

"You look…"

She raised her eyes to the taller man. 

"... Breathtakin'." 

She lowered her head. 

"Is it too much?"

"No, no it's perfect. You even put on some make up?" 

"Y-yeah, is it nice? I mean I'm not really used to doing it but-but I don't know maybe it's too much… and the dress, what do you think? I mean it's the only one I have, I don't know why I have it and it feels weird to wear it and-"

The Australian put his hands on her naked shoulders. She was wearing a long, dark blue, sleeveless velvet dress. It was fitting her on her chest and she had put a thin silver belt around her waist. The rest of the dress flowed down, hiding her long, slim legs. The fabric was glimmering under the light. She wore a silver necklace with a small diamond. Leila had also changed her short, working gloves for long ones that went up to her elbows.

"You look bloody amazin'." 

"Really?" 

"Yeah, now stop worryin' and follow me, he's waiting for you."

"Oh, alright." 

"But before that, can I ask you somethin'?"

"Of course."

"D'you… Uh… Do you know how he is with… I mean with sheilas…?"

She nodded. 

"He has his reputation. Among the stories about him, some say that there isn't a woman alive who has laid eyes on him and didn't fall for him. He is said to be extremely well-mannered and charming."

"Does he treat them well?"

She raised an eyebrow. 

"As far as I know, yes. But why do you ask? He's just taking me for dinner, nothing else."

"Hm."

_ Yeah, he's just takin' you out for dinner and you "just" look stunnin', eh?  _ The Australian thought.

She put on a long black coat and followed him outside. He heard her heels click on the floor and smiled to himself.

"He's waitin' for you in front of the base." 

"Oh, alright, uh, than you Lawrence."

She looked left and right, and seeing that no one was around, she hugged him in front of the door.

"Eh?"

"Oui?"

"Relax, it's all gonna be fine and you look gorgeous."

She smiled. 

"Merci." 

She opened the door and nodding one last time to her friend, she exited the base. 

It was a bit cold outside. She adjusted her coat and when she raised her head, she saw a man leaning on the bonnet of a dark blue italian car, one of those luxury ones that only exist in movies. It contrasted sharply with the golden and orange sky. It was beautiful. When he heard the door shut, the Frenchman who was wearing a navy blue suit with the satin white bowtie, crushed his cigarette and stood up, adjusting his jacket. He cleared his throat. 

"Bonsoir, Princesse."

[Good evening, Princess.]

"Bonsoir." 

As she had walked to him, she had taken in the view. He already elegant in daily life, but this suit… It shone slightly with the light of the end of afternoon sun. He was wearing black and white varnished shoes. He looked extremely sharp and classy. Without really realising it, she was devouring him with her dark eyes. On his end, he could just hear the heels clicking on the ground, the black coat was hiding the rest. He looked down and saw she was wearing a pair of black varnished stilleto. And when his head rose up again, he noticed the black eyeliner around her eyes. Oh Lord, she already had beautiful, mysterious eyes but with the eyeliner… She had feline, dangerous and attractive eyes, under her eyelashes that she made even longer with a touch of mascara. The Frenchman felt his heart jump in his ribcage when his eyes landed on her lips. She had put some lipstick on, it was not too bright, but just enough to make her lips glisten. 

"After you…" He said as he opened the door on the passenger's side. 

"Merci." She took her seat and he shut the door. The Frenchman then walked around the car, adjusting his bowtie and the satin white handkerchief on the front pocket of his jacket. 

When they were both at their places, he looked at her. 

"Ready?" He asked.

"When you are." She answered. 

He started the engine and off they went on their journey. 

Lucien was a fast and confident driver. Not a big surprise, the man was very self-confident and efficient in his line of work. Leila looked around her. The car was gorgeous. The seats were in beige leather and the dashboard was in varnished wood. And she also noticed the smell when she got in. It was his perfume. She smiled. 

"You own a beautiful car."

"Thank you. It's a-"

"A Ferrari, oui, she must be from their early 70s models. Although they used to produce them in red mainly… So you had it custom painted? It's beautiful, I like dark blue." 

He looked at her, surprised that she knew that much about his car.

"Je sais."

[I know.]

She raised an eyebrow. How could he know her favourite colour was navy blue?

"So, where are you taking me?"

"It's a French place, a good one." 

"Is it that restaurant on South-East side of the city, the one with the golden name on it,  _ Louis Le Grand?" _

His jaw dropped. 

"O-oui, indeed it is, have you already been there?" 

"Oui, I took Sniper there once. It's an excellent place."

"Oh…" The Frenchman was disappointed. He thought he had made the best choice possible! "I guess this means we should go elsewhere…"

"Non, why do you say that? I really liked that place."

"But doesn't it feel odd going somewhere you and Sniper have already been? But let me ask, was it on a Tuesday by any chance?"

She looked at him.

"Non, it was during a weekend, why?"

"Ah then I might entertain you with something new after all, if you still agree to go there?"

"Lucien, don't let me change your plan. I would love to go there again." 

"Très bien."

[Very well.]

He pressed his foot more on the gas pedal and off they went, on their way to a nice dinner, her and him. 

_ \-- Louis Le Grand, the restaurant --  _

They entered arm in arm. Both of them didn't really know how it happened, was it her who took his arm or him who offered it? It didn't matter as a waiter came to them. 

"Une table pour deux. J'avais réservé."

[A table for two. I had booked before.]

"C'est à quel nom?"

[What was the name?]

"Lucien." 

She raised an eyebrow. He had given his first name and not his last to book the table? 

"Ah, oui! Veuillez me suivre."

[Ah yes! Please follow me.]

They followed the waiter and found their table waiting for them. Everything was ready, the plates, the cutlery, but most importantly, the candle. Lucien had insisted on it. One single candle in the middle of the table.

When they arrived behind their seats, the waiter went behind her to relieve her of her coat. And Lucien might as well have heard his jaw hit the tiled floor. The waiter unveiled her slim neck, her shoulders, her sleeveless dress, with the simple diamond shining on her upper chest. The Frenchman was taken aback. His eyes slid on her naked shoulders and met with the long gloves covering her hands and arms up to her elbows. His heart skipped a beat. He gulped down his dry throat as his eyes followed her slim silhouette, her delicate curves, her very thin waist where her slim silver belt was laced. The rest of the dress flowed on her hips exquisitely. 

The Frenchman was left in awe and could feel the sweat under his balaclava when the waiter left. He cleared his throat and hid his face behind the menu.

"I guess I don't need to explain what the dishes are?" He said. The force of habit on his side, his voice didn't let any of his emotions show. 

"Non, indeed."

"You are well versed in our cuisine."

"As much as you are. And you're a good cook, Lucien." 

He raised his eyes just enough to see hers above the menu. Their eyes met briefly, ice blue and coal black. Like two ends of a wire run by a current, they created a spark and both lowered their gaze.

"You know what you will take?" He asked.

"Oui, what about you?"

"I think so too." 

A waiter came to take their order and disappeared rapidly. 

"What do you think of the place?" Lucien asked. 

"I like it very much, albeit in a bittersweet manner."

"How so?"

Their starters landed in front of them. She went for  _ oeufs mimosa _ , hard boiled eggs with mayonnaise while he went for a  _ salade au magret,  _ typical of the South-West of France.

"It reminds me of the dinners in the Ministry, you know, the Christmas one and the end of the year bal…"

"Ah, oui, I remember… They didn't used to exist when I first started, you know?"

"Really?"

"Oui, they were created later than my arrival."

"Oh, I see…"

"I joined the special intelligence forces as they were establishing them properly."

"Oh, yes, I tend to forget…"

"That I'm older than you? I take it as a compliment that you forget it."

Their main dishes arrived. She had chosen a  _ quenelle de brochet _ , a typical dish from Lyon where he went for a  _ gratin dauphinois _ .

"How do you find the food?" He asked.

"It's divine. You?"

"I find it exquisite indeed. Have you ever had a  _ quenelle de brochet _ before? I'm told it's quite typical of the region around Lyon."

"Oui, I've lived in Lyon for a few years."

"They say it's the capital of the French cuisine." He said. 

"And I can confirm it. They have their own typical restaurants,  _ les bouchons _ , absolutely exquisite! You should definitely try them if you have the opportunity."

"I would, only if  _ you _ took me." 

They exchanged a conniving smile and more was said in their eyes than in the words.

"Oh, what is that?" 

She raised her head when she heard some music. 

"It's Tuesday night, which means it's latin night."

"What's that?"

"Every Tuesday, they organise a show with musicians and it's only Spanish, Italian and Portuguese songs. You can see the orchestra there."

The lights went dimmer in the restaurant and spotlights switched on towards the stage at the back. The flame of the candlelight was just enough for him to see her in the orange glow that cut the dark blue room. Her eyes were shining, jumping from one musician to the other. He head turned slightly. 

"Oh, people are even dancing…" She noticed.

"Do you like this type of music?" He asked. 

"In fact…" She hesitated. She was about to lie but something pushed her to tell truth. "I like it a lot. I find it very sensual." 

He smiled and was about to answer when a waiter came. 

"Madame et Monsieur voudraient-ils la carte des desserts?" 

[Madam and Sir would maybe like the dessert menu?]

They exchanged a glance. 

"I'm pretty full, Lucien."

"So am I but… What about sharing something maybe?" 

She felt hot under her mask but the presence of the waiter meant that she didn't have much time to think.

"Oui, avec plaisir." 

[Yes, that would be my pleasure.]

The words escape her mouth before she could even think what they meant. After a minute, they were faced with the dessert menu. 

"Do you have any preferences, or things you don't like?" He asked. 

"Well, the Dame Blanche is excellent, but I shared with Lawrence the other day, so…"

"So no Dame Blanche, don't worry. Apart from that?" 

"I have a weakness for chocolate."

"Then why not go for a  _ mousse au chocolat?" _

"Alright!" 

They placed their order and waited for a few minutes. She was staring at the orchestra and him, at her. He felt like he wasn't getting enough of her, he wanted to watch her like that for more. She was resting her head on her hands, her elbows on the table, her eyes were dreamy, the caramel tint of her skin revealed under the golden sheen of the dancing flame of the candle. And the Frenchman that years of ruthless killing hardened, found himself softening under her charm. 

She turned her head and realised he was looking at her. 

"Are you alright?" She asked. 

"Oui, I am fine. What about you? Enjoying the night so far?"

He saw her blink slowly and wished deep down that he wasn't just imagining that flame dancing at the bottom of her pupils. 

"Yes, I am very much." 

"Leila?"

"Oui?"

"May I tell you something?"

"Oui, of course."

"I think you are remarkable." 

Her breath stopped and she opened wide eyes. 

"Merci." She prudely answered. 

"I mean it. You are unlike any woman I've met before."

"I assume you haven't met that many lady spies anyway…"

"That is not what I mean." 

The music switched from rumba to bossa nova in the background. 

"What do you mean then?" She pushed him not only because she liked to tease the arrogant man but also because she wanted to know. 

The Frenchman took a deep breath. 

"Leila, when Marc told me about you, I had a hard time believing him. He said as much, he said that I should listen to him all the way to the end and not laugh. So I did. He told me how kind hearted you were, how many missions you actually completed  _ without _ killing the target. He told me about that mission in the South of Morocco, where you freed some children and actually smuggled them to safety in Spain. He told that, and much more."

"And? Did you laugh in the end?"

"If anyone else had told me that, yes, I would have laughed. A lady spy as competent as that? Pfff, impossible! But it wasn't anyone who was telling this. It was Marc. I trust him. I knew he didn't lie to me. So I got, uhm,  _ interested  _ in your case."

"Why?"

The Frenchman bent forward on the table and looked the woman in her eyes. 

"You… You're a puzzle to me." 

"Is it bad?" She asked.

"Non, on the contrary." He answered with a smile and before he could add anything, the chocolate mousse appeared between them, next to the candle. 

"After you." He politely said. 

"Merci." She answered. 

They took a moment to appreciate how beautiful it looked. The mousse seemed very fresh and light. There was a cherry at the top of it. Each of them took a spoon and dug in. He noticed how keenly she tasting it.

"What do you think of it?" He asked. 

"Not the best I've ever had, but still very decent. I find it a bit too sweet. And it must be done with… Oui, I'm pretty sure they added some crème fraîche. This is definitely not how I do it."

"Oh, you know how to make your own  _ mousse au chocolat?" _ He asked. 

"Oui, I'll make some for you and I can even teach you if you want." 

"I would love to." He answered. 

She smiled and lowered her head to hide her blush that he could nonetheless not see, given the colour of her skin and the balaclava. They ate more and more of it, the chocolate dessert growing thinner after each spoon. 

He was looking at it, trying to respectfully avoid her side of the bowl. She? She was staring at him. The fact that he wasn't looking at her helped. She felt like she had to take in as much as possible before his eyes rose again to meet her. 

She looked at him more keenly. His eyebrows were dark with the occasional grey thin streak. His eyelashes were long and started showing his age too. His age, and maybe the result of a stressful life. They say grey hair appears more as one gets under more anxiety and pressure. Most people would fight the signs of age adamantly. She was glad he didn't. Leila couldn't admit it, but she did have a weakness for grey and cinder streaks of hair. His nose was slim and his lips, very much so. She stared at them for a while, while he was savouring the chocolate mousse. He licked his lips and she melted.

They had left the cherry untouched in the empty bowl. 

"You can have the cherry, Princesse."

"You'd be dreaming if you thought you could have it!" She answered cheekily. 

"Is that a challenge?" He raised an eyebrow playfully. 

"Could be. If you had a chance to win it, that is." She wiggled her eyebrows. 

"I might be older, but that makes me wiser,  _ Mademoiselle." _

"Oh…!" She laughed and rolled her eyes, "You keep telling yourself just that,  _ Monsieur Spy. _ "

"Then go ahead, have it." 

Her eyes went down to the bowl but it was empty. 

"Wait-what?!"

He chuckled. 

"Spy, you ate it?!"

"Didn't Marc teach you that?"

"What?"

"Always pay attention to everything, especially-"

"Especially the obvious… Did you steal it right under my nose?!" She asked. 

He nodded with a proud smirk. 

"Come closer." He said and she obliged. Both were bent forward above the table. He put his hand behind her ear, covered with the balaclava, and when he pulled his hand back, the cherry was dangling from between his fingers. 

"How did you…?" 

"There, you can have it. Now if you'll excuse me…" 

He dropped the cherry on her spoon and stood up, heading away from the table. She followed him with her eyes but soon lost him. She listened to the musicians again. They were playing some tango now. More people had gathered to dance in front of the musicians. 

_ "M'accorderez-vous cette danse?"  _

_ [May I have this dance?] _

The voice had come from behind her. She turned to see who was asking her that question and her breath stopped.

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading! 

I hope you liked this one and please let me know what you thought in the comments :) !

See you!

  
  
  
  



	25. Chapter 25

_"M'accorderez-vous cette danse?"_

_[May I have this dance?]_

Leila turned and raised her eyes to see who was asking. It was him. Lucien. A hand behind his back elegantly, he was proudly standing next to her chair, his hand opened flat at her eye-level as an invitation. He smiled when she put her gloved hand in his.

He delicately pulled his hand up and she stood up. They went hand in hand to the dancing area and faced each other. 

"I won't ask if you know how to dance the tango?" He said. 

"And I won't answer." She said with a smirk. 

She put her hand on his shoulder and he wrapped her arm around her waist. 

"Ready?"

He gently pulled her to himself and she shivered. He smirked. 

"Oui." 

He held her close and they started moving. They danced as if they had been dance partners for years. Their movements were fluid, they whirled, their feet sliding to the rhythm of the music, their heartbeats synchronised with the tango. He bent forward to let her lean back, as a flower would bend under a heavy raindrop. He maintained her safe with a hand on her lower back and she stretched her leg forward. And that's when he realised it. Her dress was split on her left side, all the way up to about half her thigh, revealing her long leg, covered by black shining tights. 

He pulled her back up and pulled her closer to himself. Oh Lord was she elegant and graceful…! He wanted to hold her close, protect her from the world and keep her all to himself. Such grace, such beauty… It had to be saved. 

The music changed for a much slower paced one.

She saw his pupils dilate wildly but failed to get why. And she saw it, it struck her that she might be in the same state. After all, they were hand in hand, he was holding her close and his perfume was intoxicating in the most exquisite manner. She lent her head on his chest and he smiled, closing his eyes.

"Lucien?"

"Hm?"

"Merci."

His hand brushed her back slowly. 

"Tout le plaisir est pour moi, ma belle." 

[All the pleasure is mine, my beauty.]

Her heart swelled. She looked up at him and what she saw filled her chest with a sweet warmth. Lucien was smiling, it seemed to her that it was a sweet smile, but also confident. She blinked slowly and he squeezed her tighter. She leant her head against his chest again and closed her eyes. 

Oh how precious it was… This feeling of safety, wrapped in a man's arms. She loved it. And what man? Lucien, the best spy in her eyes, a role model, a hero and she could just about admit to herself, the most elegant man she laid eyes upon. The way he spoke, the way he smoked, holding his cigarette from the tip of his long fingers, the way he held Perle in his arms, the way he was now holding her and… He had called her _'ma belle'..._

Wait. Was it just a figure of speech or did he really mean it? Was he feeling the same butterflies than she had in her stomach? Was he brushing her back just out of habit, because he had done it a million times before; or was it because he genuinely felt _it_ …?

"Leila?"

"Oui?" She raised her head to look at him. 

"Tu es resplendissante, sublime. Je suis… Je suis sans voix."

[You are gorgeous, sublime. I am… I am speechless.]

"Pfff, stop it. You must have said that and more than that to a million women before me." 

"I did. But rarely have I meant it as much as I do today." 

She rolled her eyes up. 

"You will have to convince me some other way, Monsieur Lucien. Even if I wanted to believe you were sincere, I couldn't. I know your reputation and I understand where it comes from, and that makes very hard for me to believe your words."

"Fair enough…" 

She thought that there was a hint of disappointment in her voice. To be honest, even if his charms were leaving her breathless, something in her mind screamed at her to be vigilant. The man was a womanizer, _the_ womanizer. Compliments are cheap from his mouth.

"Shall we sit back or do you think it is quite late?" He asked, a bit distraught. 

"Let us drive back to the base. We have a long journey."

"Quite right." 

He didn't have the heart to offer his arm to her. How could she be that cold towards him? Was she _that_ insensitive? To be honest, that could explain how good she was in her job. But he could swear she was under his charm, _seduced!_ Where did it go wrong? He had felt it, the chemistry, the magic when they were dancing. Damnit, he couldn't have imagined it, could he?! 

Lucien paid for the both of them and they soon found themselves in the Frenchman's car, driving through the night. 

"Lucien?" 

"Hm?" He was half disappointed, half furious against himself. 

"Thank you for this wonderful evening." 

Well if it was that wonderful, why wasn't she showing it more? _Why?!_

The answer struck him like lightning. The fact that she wasn't free falling in his arms wasn't the most surprising. Non, of course not! He was a spy, she knew his reputation, she knew he used to get as many romantic adventures as the pearls of a necklace in no time. Non, her being cautious _wasn't_ surprising. However, the burning he felt in his heart... 

"You're welcome, it isn't much." 

The atmosphere was cold in the car. Their outfits made no sense, they might have been in a red suit for him and a blue suit for her, in the middle of the battlefield, her blades crossing in a slash… But he was in a tuxedo with a silk white bowtie and - he quickly looked at her - she was in a splendid dress, her left leg hardly showing from the slit of her dress. 

He screwed his eyes shut and frowned. Why was he impatient? Was he really impatient? Non. 

He took a deep breath and sighed. 

He had to think straight for a second. Of course she had all the reasons in the world to be cautious and not trust him. Of course! Given his past as a spy and blablabla… But on the other hand - he looked briefly at her again - he had spent a wonderful evening with her. And not just one evening. When she sat on the carpet to draw his cat and kittens, when she came in the morning to share breakfast with him, when she looked up at him, her big, dark eyes piercing through his head… 

Had the roles been reversed, could he put up with enemy in his own smoking room? Could he treat her the way that she had been treating him? Not like the odd one in the crowd, but as someone whom she was willing to help, put her Mann Co. contract and every feeling of animosity aside to actually make a positive impact on his life? Could he do that? Of course not. But that's what made her even more special in his eyes.

When he had told her about Scout, she didn't judge him. She hadn't lectured him on how incompetent and cowardly he had been. Non, she had offered to help him straight away. Who would have reacted that way? No one, not even himself, had the roles been reversed.

He sighed again as he started to nail down what he felt for her. 

"Non." He said out loud. 

"What?" She asked, surprised that he had split the silence in such a way.

He parked the car on the side of the road and stopped it. The night was as dark as blue could get and the half moon gave them just about enough light for them to see each other. 

"Something is wrong with the car?" She asked. 

"Non. Not with the car."

"What's the matter then?" 

"It's me." He answered. 

"What's wrong?" 

"I don't know." He answered, irritated.

She understood that words wouldn't work. She felt the heat of embarrassment creep up on her as with each second that passed, the atmosphere grew thicker. She looked down and had an idea. 

She put her left hand on top of his right one, on the gearbox. 

"Lucien, tell me please." She gently asked. 

"It's me." He repeated. "I have to find it." 

"Find what?" 

"If I knew, I wouldn't be looking for it…" 

"Can I help you find _it_ , whatever it is?"

He lowered his head. And again, here she was! She had offered to help him straight away, even if she didn't know what his problem was! 

He put his left hand on his brow.

She had asked him to _'convince her some other way'_ ... How could he show her that not only was he grateful to her but…? _But what even?!_ How to phrase that? He could barely say it to himself. He had never met anyone like her, both gorgeous, well mannered and oh Lord how charming she was! Her gaze was bewitching, her moves, enchanting and her voice, the sweetest melody. And on top of that all, she was the kindest spy and maybe the kindest woman he had ever met.

"Lucien, tu peux tout me dire, tu sais?"

[Lucien, you can tell me anything, you know?]

He had heard her voice, but didn't listen to he words. His eyes snapped wide open and he raised his head straight when he got the solution. The way he could show her how deep the impression was that she was making on him!

"Leila?" 

He unfastened his seatbelt and turned to face her. 

"Oui?" She raised an eyebrow, feeling that something was coming. 

"Maybe that will convince you." 

He undid his bowtie and undid the first two buttons of his shirt. She opened wide surprised eyes. 

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" She shouted. 

He slipped his hand away from underneath hers and she gasped. 

"Lucien, mais qu'est-ce que tu fais?!"

[Lucien, what the hell are you doing?!]

She watched as he pinched the tip of his gloved fingers and removed his gloves. 

"Lucien?!" She shouted again but he wasn't listening. 

He let the gloves fall of his lap. He then put his fingers on collar of his shirt and put his hand to the edge of his mask. 

"Lucien! Arrête! Qu'est-ce que tu fais?!" 

[Lucien! Stop! What are you doing?!]

He pulled the dark red balaclava up in one swift move. She covered her face with her hands as a short yet loud gasp escaped her lungs. 

"Leila?" 

"Pourquoi tu fais ça?!" 

[Why are you doing this?!]

"Because you asked me to convince you another way. If my words don't make it to you, maybe my face will." 

She still had her hands on her face. She didn't want to see his face! She didn't need to! Why was he reacting that way! It wasn't like him, the calm, thought out, cunning Frenchman. 

"Leila, s'il te plaît, regarde-moi."

[Leila, please, look at me.]

"Not before you tell me why." Her muffled voice answered. 

"Because I've lost my mind because of you." He answered. 

Her hands dropped and she looked at him, astonished. 

"Q-quoi?" 

[W-what?]

"I am repeating myself but never in my life have I met a woman like you." 

She stared at his face. Oh Lord, he changed only little from his painting in the Ministry. He was older yes but also… _more handsome._ She gulped down hard. His face was remarkably comely. His hair was impeccably combed back, his eyes glistened under the moonlight, his cheekbones slightly protruding and his thin nose and lips…

"You are unlike anyone I've met before, especially in our line of work. You managed to still be _human_ , very much so. You… Argh, Marc had warned me."

"Warned you? Against what?" 

"He said that you were the best student he ever had. Not only were you hard working, you were also extremely compassionate and considerate… As you still are. And what a - argh listen to me babble about…" He let his hand sink from his brow down to his chin. 

"Forget it." He concluded, slipped his balaclava back on, his gloves too and started the car again. 

Leila bit her lip and sighed as she felt the guilt. He had tried to tell her that he liked her and she didn't hear it. Non, she heard him but she was extremely wary of him. Maybe he meant it after all? Maybe he really did call her _'ma belle'_ because he genuinely found her beautiful?

What could she say? What could she do?

The Frenchman's eyes were riveted on the road. He was frowning and clenching his jaw, grasping the gearbox aggressively. He could almost feel the sweat break on his brow under the balaclava. His whole body was tense.

"Stop the car." She said. 

He got slightly startled but did as he was told and parked the car on the side of the road again. He lifted the hand brake with a sigh.

"Remove your gloves again… Please." She asked shyly.

He did as he was told and put his hand on the gearbox again. 

"Now what?" He asked. 

He watched as she removed her long gloves and put her hand on his, lacing her fingers around his and squeezing gently. The contact of her skin on his sent shivers down his spine.

"I-I'm sorry." She hardly managed to stutter the words. 

"For what?"

"Not being able to… I mean…"

"Dis-le en Français." 

[Say it in French.] 

He said with a calm voice. 

"J'aimerais pouvoir faire plus mais…"

[I would love to be able to do more but...]

She simply answered. But why couldn't she? 

_Oh…_

It struck the Frenchman.

"Is it because of Sniper?" He asked. 

She shook her head. 

"Non, he isn't interested in me." 

"Hard to believe." He answered. "Unless he doesn't - Ah, I see." 

The Frenchman remembered the way that the Australian looked at him as they departed from the van. And it all made sense. 

"The only way he couldn't find you, uh, _interesting_ , is if he didn't find women in general interesting."

She nodded. 

"You got it right." 

"I see. Then, I guess my reputation precedes me and you can't trust me."

"I-I find it difficult." She answered.

"Understandable." 

"But wait, _you_ don't find it remotely difficult to trust me." She said. "How comes?"

"I already answered this, Princesse." 

She raised an eyebrow as a way to ask further.

"Because you made me lose my ability to think straight." He said. "Look, I understand that it's hard to believe that I'm honest. In that case, I will demonstrate that I really mean my words. But before I do that, I need to know something."

She bent her head on one side. 

"I need to know that I'm not making those efforts for nothing. I need to know that… That somewhere… That you also find _me_ … interesting." It was awfully hard to get those words out. 

She took him by the hand and laced her finger between his. He closed his hand and squeezed gently, brushing the back of her hand with his thumb. He stared at her lowering her head while every fibre of his body burnt for her to say that indeed, she felt it too: oh he wished she had something that tickled her on the inside each time their eyes met, that she had absolutely adored dancing with him too, that she wished she could have him for herself. Because deep down, that's what he felt for her but didn't manage to say. It was too blunt and too strong. He couldn't say all that, but that's what he had in his heart.

"Leila, s'il te plaît…?"

[Leila, please…?]

He was begging and his heart raced. Please, please gorgeous Leila, tell me that you feel the same, tell me that your heart danced long before the music started, tell me that you wanted to stay in my arms long after the music ended. Tell me that when you leave the flat and the door closes, you feel that something tears apart in you, and it hurts. Please…

She turned to face him and undid her seatbelt with a click. His eyes were still riveted on hers, his hand holding hers tightly and his heart beating faster than a samba. She put a hand on the edge of her mask and pulled it up and away. 

His jaw dropped. She had the prettiest face he had the pleasure to ever lay his eyes on. She had big, hypnotic eyes, that he knew, but her nose and oh Lord her lips… And she had short hair, unsurprisingly. It made more sense for the balaclava of course, it made it easier. But it was… It was curly! She had black, curly hair. He bit his lip. 

"It feels unfair that I saw your face and you never saw mine."

He was left speechless. Even in the shy light of the half moon, he had enough light to see that she looked magnificent.

"I saw your portrait in the Ministry." 

"And I… Can I admit something?" He prudely asked. 

She nodded. He removed his mask again to be equal with her and slipped a hand in his inner pocket. He got a small picture out.

"This is what Marc sent me to be sure that it was really you." 

He handed her a small picture of her face but it was mostly covered with black tape. Her hair, her nose and her cheeks were covered by black stripes of tape. 

"I asked him to put tape on the parts of your face I couldn't see."

"You did what?" 

"Not only did it make it easier to recognise you for me as I have only ever seen you with your mask on," He explained. "But I also wanted to respect the fact that you don't want to show your face."

"So you received the picture _with tape_?" She asked.

He nodded and something struck her. 

"And you're carrying this picture with you?" She asked.

He nodded again.

"All the time?" She asked. 

He sighed.

"Oui but at the beginning, it was to make sure you wouldn't find it. The best place to hide it was here." He tapped his inner pocket. "But then I… I took on the habit and now it… _feels different."_

He looked like he had to tear the words off his very mouth. They were difficult to say. Ha! How ironic! The womanizer, the man who had more love conquests than the sky had stars; and there he was, tripping over his own words, trying to make Leila understand that she was more than his landlady to him.

"Aargh putain de merde!" He exclaimed as he removed his hand from hers and exited the car, slamming the door violently shut.

He started to walk away from it in the desert, under the black sky only scintillating with the stars. Leila, astounded, exited the car too and looked at him. He was coming and going and which each come and go, he was growing angrier, dust flying after his heels. She went around the car and stood on his way. Enraged as he was, he nearly knocked her over. 

"Lucien!" 

She put her hands on his shoulders to hold him in place. 

"Quoi?!" 

[What?!] 

Her hands slid from his shoulders to the collar of his jacket. He softened as he felt her hand brush his chest. She pulled on it gently for him to bend down slightly and he obliged. She put her cheek against his and she closed her eyes. She couldn't see it but he had closed his eyes too. 

"Lucien, dis-moi."

[Lucien, tell me.] 

She whispered softly and he melted. 

"Je… Je ne peux pas, je n'y arrive pas." 

[I… I can't, I don't manage to.]

"Alors montre-moi."

[Then show me.] 

She asked and felt his arms and hands slowly close around her and lace her waist and back. He bent his head on the side to lean more on hers, cheek against cheek.

"Si tu savais…"

[If only you knew…]

He said, taking a deep breath, the smell of her perfume filling his lungs and making him feel oh so light, he almost felt his feet lift off the ground. He squeezed her in his arms, he wanted to feel all of her against all of him. 

"Leila…"

"Oui?"

His hands slid up to cup her face and he put his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. 

"Tu n'es pas comme les autres. Tu as quelque chose de plus profond, de plus fort. Quand j'ai dansé avec toi, j'ai voulu te garder dans mes bras. J'ai voulu - je veux - te garder."

[You aren't like the others. You have something deeper, stronger. When I danced with you, I wanted - I want - to keep you.]

She felt his fingers on her cheeks slowly brush her skin. Her heart was racing and she could hear his heartbeat through his breath and his words. She opened her eyes and looked up at him, his eyes were shut and his eyebrows were arched high up. 

"Je sais que c'est extrêmement égoïste, je sais que c'est fou, je sais que tu l'as déjà entendu mille fois auparavant. Mais Leila, je t'ai dans ma tête, je t'ai dans ma peau…"

[I know it's extremely selfish, I know it's crazy, I know you have heard all this a million times before. But Leila, you're stuck in my head, in my skin…]

Her hands clenched on the collar of his jacket. They both felt the intensity of the moment, the tension. They were alone for miles away. The road was empty and the desert was dead silent. They were the only signs on life for as far as they could see. The moon was watching over them for high up in the sky and made sure that they could see each other in the dead of night.

Leila pushed herself to put her nose against his and she heard him shiver. Him, Lucien, the best spy on the face of the Earth, she was in his arms and he was melting in hers. 

"Montre-moi que je peux te croire."

[Show me that I can believe you.]

She whispered and she saw him open his eyes. Oh Lord, was beautiful eyes he had, like two drops of ice.

"Vraiment?"

[Really?]

He asked, his lips trembling.

"Oui." She answered, her eyes staring at the frozen furnace of his blue irises left and right.

He took a deep breath and slid a hand on her waist, behind her back and the other behind her head. He pulled her to himself closing his eyes and put his lips on hers. She clenched her fists harder on his jacket and she lost her legs, thank God he was pulling her strongly enough from her waist or she would have collapsed. He put his heart, his soul and all the words he couldn't say in his lips and hoped she would understand.

He wanted to withdraw from her lips, thinking that the message was strong enough but she pulled more strongly on his jacket to keep going. It made him feel decades younger and she could feel his lips stretch in a smile. It was her turn now to say it wordlessly. She had wanted that as much as he did. She had loved the dance with him, the flirting games, everything flowed perfectly with him, and him alone.

When they withdrew, they stared at each other's eyes and smiled. 

"J'espère que tu me crois maintenant."

[I hope you believe me now.]

"Hm… Pas tout à fait!"

[Hm… Not quite!]

She cheekily answered just to tease him.

"Alors je me dois de mieux te montrer, non?" 

[Then I have to show you better, don't I?]

"J'en ai bien peur."

[I'm afraid so.]

She answered arrogantly, like a queen denying the demands of a million prince and it made him fall harder. He chuckled and bent down to kiss her again. 

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Yoohoo! Thanks for reading!

Do let me know what you think of this one! :D

Hopefully it will have been worth the wait ;) 

It might take me a bit of time before 26 appears but don't worry my good fellows, it will appear :D

See you!


	26. Chapter 26

"So, am I convincing enough now?" 

Lucien asked, the lady of his desires in his arms. She smiled. 

"For now, maybe."

"I see Mademoiselle is difficult."

"And you're surprised?" 

"Non, I like the thrill of it all."

"Mmh…"

She leant her head on his chest and he held her close. 

"Leila?"

"Hm?"

"I… I think you're a godsent to me."

"So are you, to me, Lucien."

She raised to the tip of his toes and he lowered his head so that she could kiss his lips. 

"Mon Dieu, and to think I thought I would never feel this." He said when her lips left his. 

She shivered. 

"Oh, are you cold?" 

She wrapped her arms around herself. 

"A bit, oui." The truth was that on top of feeling the cold of the night, his kiss had sent shivers everywhere in her.

"Let's go back to the car." 

He took her hand and led her to her seat, opening the car door for her.

"Merci." 

He winked at her and she felt the blood rush to her cheeks. 

He went around and took the driver's seat. He fastened his seatbelt and turned to look at her. He offered his hand and she put hers in it. He pulled it to his lips and left a gentle kiss on it. 

"Allons-y, ma belle."

[Let's go, my beauty.]

She smiled and nodded. He turned the key and the engine roared as loud as their euphoria, as they were still high from their passionate embrace. 

He drove fast and she let her hand on his, on the gearbox. The heat that radiated from their hands kept their hearts warm. 

The journey was spent mostly in silence but it wasn't awkward. That silence was making time pass slower so that they could enjoy it more and better. He had his eyes on the road, and she, on him. She was devouring him with her eyes while he had the mask off. She was leaning her head back on the seat, as if the mere sight of him filled her so strongly that she couldn't carry her own self to sit straight.

_Click_. 

He flipped a switch and the light switched on in the car. 

"Mon Dieu…" 

She couldn't manage to hold back her surprise. She couldn't see it earlier but his temples were grey and the front lock of his hair was cinder. She bit her lip. He quickly looked at her. 

"Something's matter?" He asked. 

"You… I could look at you for hours." She said, leaning on her seat, on her side, her eyes dreamy.

He smiled and looked at her. 

"Had I said the same, you wouldn't have believed me."

She smiled and slid a hand on his chest. He melted on his seat. Her hand glided to his inner pocket and she retrieved the picture.

"What are you - eh, don't destroy it, please." He said. The words came out of his mouth too fast for him to control them. He blushed. She saw it and it made her warm. 

"I don't want to destroy it, look." 

He watched as she peeled off the bits of black tape on her face. 

"There, that's better, non?"

"Mh, oui, I suppose so." He answered, pretending to not care. 

"I can put the tape back if you preferred." She cheekily answered. 

Lucien chuckled. 

"You misunderstood me," He said and she raised a curious eyebrow. "How can this small picture compare to the sight that I have now…?" The Frenchman turned to look at her and she felt like a powerful punch in her guts. 

_Oh he's good, very good._

"Then let me maybe make it better?" She asked. 

Lucien watched as she flipped the picture on its back and left a kiss on it. Her lipstick left the print of her lips. His eyebrows _\- and his heart -_ jumped. She put the picture back in his pocket and tapped it lightly. 

"Merci." He said. 

"Avec plaisir."

[My pleasure.]

They soon arrived at the base. She gave him his mask and put on hers, they also put their gloves back. They exited the car and went straight to their room. She locked the door after her and felt his arms hug her from behind. She put her hands on his. 

"Merci pour cette soirée, Lucien."

[Thank you for this evening, Lucien.]

"Merci à toi, mon ange."

[Thank _you,_ my angel.]

"Meow!"

Perle came trotting at their feet, followed by her kittens.

"Ah, oui, I need to feed you, Madame." The Frenchman said to his cat. He let go of Leila and went to get the cat food. Meanwhile Leila disappeared in the bathroom.

"Meow?"

"Perle, c'était merveilleux."

[Perle, it was marvelous.] 

He said as he poured the food in her bowl. He then filled her water bowl and left her and her children have their dinner in peace.

The Frenchman then removed his gloves, his mask and jacket, unbuttoned his shirt and got a change for his pyjamas. He then laid on the sofa, staring at the ceiling with the most blissful smile. 

Suddenly, he heard her bedroom door creak as she pulled it open. He raised his head off the pillow to look. She was wearing her satin red dressing gown. But this time, it was open and he could see the light pink night dress underneath. His mouth went dry instantly. She leant against the door frame, elegantly, and crossed her arms. 

"Qu'est-ce que tu fais encore sur le canapé?"

[What are you still doing on the sofa?]

"J'allais dormir."

[I was going to sleep.]

She sighed and rolled her eyes up with a smile. 

"Tu ne penses tout de même pas que je vais te laisser dormir une seule nuit de plus loin de moi, hm?"

[You don't think that I would let you spend even one night far from me, do you?]

She was smirking. He sat up on the sofa. She turned her back and headed to her bed, leaving the door open. He took his pillow and went to her doorstep. He didn't dare cross the threshold.

"Je peux?"

[May I?]

He asked.

"J'ai bien peur que tu doives, à moins que tu ne veuilles pas…?

[I'm afraid that you have to, unless you don't want to…?] 

She answered, with a playful smile. He stepped in and went to the bed. He put his pillow down and sat on the bed, his back to her. He took a deep breath. The bedroom smelled of her. 

"Oh?"

She had moved to kneel behind him and hug him from behind, lacing her arms on his chest. He took her hand and kissed it. 

"Viens."

[Come.] 

She whispered in his ear and he got goosebumps. How could she be so skilled with just her voice?! But of course, he had almost forgotten that she had made it in her career exactly for that reason, because she was _irresistible._

He laid on his pillow on his side and propped his head on his hand. She went to switch off the main lights, leaving only the night lamps on. She removed her gown and it flowed swiftly down her shoulders and arms before being sent flying on the back of the nearby chair.

She looked at him, he gestured her to come to him, hooking his index finger towards himself. Lucien raised the blanket and moved his eyes to invite her at his side. 

She didn't need more signs… Leila slipped in bed and as soon as she did, Lucien laced his arms around her and laid on his back. She was now using his arm as a pillow. 

"Lucien?"

"Oui?"

"Est-ce que c'est vrai, ce qu'il y a entre nous, là ou est-ce qu'on ment?"

[Is it real, what we have between us now, or are we lying?]

"Pourquoi mentirait-on? Ni toi ni moi ne sommes plus des espions. Nous sommes des mercenaires, fatigués d'être utilisés par notre hiérarchie. Non, moi, je ne mens pas."

[Why would we lie? Neither you nor I are spies anymore. We are mercenaries, both tired of being used by whoever sits above us. Non, me? I am not lying.]

She put her hand on his chest. 

"Comment pourrais-je savoir? On a passé nos vies à mentir. Tu pourrais très bien me faire croire que… que…" 

[How could I know? We spent our lives lying. You could very well be making me believe that… that…]

He smiled and kissed her head. 

"Toutes ces années à mentir et tu ne peux pas le dire?"

[All these years spent lying and you can't say _it_?]

She raised her head and looked at him. 

"Indeed the tables have turned but don't forget that not more than an hour ago, _you_ were the one not able to finish your sentences, hm?" 

He smiled. 

"Indeed, _ma belle_ , you are quite right." 

[My beauty]

She laid back on his arm and yawned. 

"Tu es fatiguée? Tu veux dormir?"

[Are you tired? Do you want to sleep?]

"Non." She answered. "Je ne veux jamais m'endormir."

[No, I want to never fall asleep.]

"Pourquoi?" He asked.

[Why?]

"Parce que je ne veux pas me réveiller et me rendre compte que ce n'était qu'un rêve."

[Because I don't want to wake up and realise it was all but a dream.]

He moved the blanket to cover her better and took her hand in his, on his chest. 

"Leila, tu ne rêves pas." 

[Leila, you are not dreaming.]

Lucien answered almost whispering and she hoped that he didn't feel it when her heart skipped a beat.

"Je suis vraiment dans les bras du meilleur espion du monde?"

[Am I really in the arms of the best spy in the world?]

He smiled proudly and answered. 

"Oui, et j'ai dans mes bras la meilleure et la plus belle de toutes les espionnes."

[Yes, and I have in my arms the best and the most beautiful lady spy in the world.]

She slid a leg between his and got closer to him. She was now resting her head below his chin. 

"Merci." Leila said before yawning again. 

"Dors, Princesse."

[Sleep, Princess.]

She couldn't fight against sleep anymore and closed her eyes. Her last sentence before her breath steadied was:

"Je le ferais si seulement je savais que je me réveillerais au bras de mon Prince."

[I would if only I knew I would wake up in my Prince's arms.]

He held her tighter and left another kiss on her head. Lucien stayed awake for quite a while after Leila fell asleep. He needed to think more. The evening replayed in his mind again and again. The restaurant, the dinner, the dessert, the cherry, the dance, her perfume, her dress, her eyes, her hand, her face, her lips…

He extended his free arm to switch off the night lamp, trying to move as little as possible not to wake Leila up.

He kept blinking in the dark, on his own, feeling her chest rise and fall slowly. Oh how he loved feeling her in his arms. He had missed it. The contact with a woman, the flirting games, the intelligent verbal jousts, the game of seduction. But he loved it, he absolutely did. He almost preferred it over the actual relationship. 

One question kept him up. Why did he not manage to tell her what he felt?

_\-- Next day --_

She woke up and immediately looked next to her. The bed was empty. She felt the dread, the horror, and sat up in a flash. Her heart skipped a beat but she soon put a hand on a chest. Her bedroom door was open and she could see him in his dark blue gown at the other end of her suite, cooking. 

She smiled and slipped out of the bed. She put on her gown and headed towards him. 

"Oh, you're already up?" He asked, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "I wanted to surprise you with breakfast in bed…" 

She slid between him and the counter and he slid a hand between her gown and her night dress, on her hips. She leant on him and both watched the eggs cook in the pan, Leila's head resting on Lucien's chest.

"Merci, mon Prince…" She laced her arms around his neck and he blushed.

"To be honest, I am glad you woke up now." He said. 

"And I'm glad that last night wasn't a dream", she answered. "But why was my timing in waking up particularly good?"

"Because…" He couldn't get the words out. His sentence was left hanging in the air, unfinished.

"It's fine if you can't say." She answered. 

"Merci." He lightly scratched her back, as he would with his cat and she stretched her back. 

"Hmm!"

"You slept well?" He asked. 

"Oui, you?"

"Couldn't have slept better even if I wanted. Oh, wait, I'm sorry ma jolie, give me a moment, I need to deal with the eggs…"

"Oh, sure, pardon." 

She moved aside and while he laid the eggs on a plate, she prepared two mugs of coffee. Black for him, with milk and sugar for her. In no time, everything they needed for breakfast was laid on the table. He sat down first, after putting the cutlery on the table. She turned to look at the table and saw there was a single plate. He wanted them to share… She smiled to herself. 

"Viens, c'est prêt."

[Come, it's ready.] 

He invited her to sit opposite him and she obliged, putting his mug in front of him and hers in front of her. 

"One plate?" She asked. 

"Do you want a separate one?" He asked.

"Never again." She answered and saw his pupils dilate. 

_Oh she's good, very good._

"Bonne réponse!" He replied and she winked.

[Good answer!]

"After you." He said, handing her a fork. 

She took it and dug in. He took a bit of the eggs and ate it. Lucien stared at the reason why he woke up this morning and she seemed more radiant that the summer sun. He propped his head on the back of his hand, his elbows on table. She looked oh so pretty, even without her makeup. Her big eyes were very feline, he loved that. Speaking of, she raised them to him and found him smiling blissfully. 

She chuckled and put a hand in front of her mouth. 

"What?" He asked. 

She continued chuckling. 

"What is it?!" He repeated in a high-pitched voice. 

"You look adorable, Lucien."

"Well, I have heard that in decades…" 

"Then I'm sorry to say that the part of humanity you met for all that time was obviously blind."

"Merci." He answered. "But uh… Don't you find it odd?" 

"What?"

"I'm fairly older than you are."

"And?" She answered, asserting that she saw no issue with that. 

"Doesn't that make you… I don't know what the exact word would be but…"

"I love it the way it is." She simply answered.

Lucien raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Oui."

"But I imagine that, given that you saw my picture in the Ministry, you clearly see the age."

"Oui, I can see it but why do you say it as if it's a bad thing?" She asked.

"Most people treasure their youth and try to extend it by all means."

"Had I been looking for a man, I wouldn't be looking for a boy." She answered. 

"And what about the lines on my face, the grey hair, the tired eyes?" He asked. 

Leila put her fork on the plate and stood up. He watched as she walked to be behind him and pulled his chair farther from the table. He was intrigued. What was she up to? 

The French woman then came in front of him and sat on his lap, putting one leg on the other, the red gown flowing after her. He gasped slightly. She laced her arms around his neck and looked him dead in the eyes. He raised his head slightly to meet her magnetic gaze.

"Lucien, je ne pouvais pas rêver d'un plus bel homme que toi."

[Lucien, I couldn't dream of a more beautiful man than you.]

Her hands slid from his neck to his face and she cupped his cheeks. He closed his eyes to fully appreciate her soft touch. His ears turned hot. 

"J'aime les lignes sur ton visage. Elles sont belles et elles te rendent beau."

[I like the lines on your face. They're beautiful and they make you even more so.]

He opened his eyed again.

"Tu dis ça pour me flatter." He answered.

[You say that to flatter me.]

"Non. I mean it. And your grey hair?" She lost her fingers in his hair and he leant his head back slightly, his eyes closing and his lips parting. Leila went to his ears and whispered.

"J'adore tes cheveux."

[I love your hair.]

He couldn't hold himself anymore, he needed to hold her. His hands went straight to her hips and brushed up to her sides. He opened his eyes and saw her stretch her spine under his touch, he shoulders raising as his fingers slid on her night dress. 

They looked at each other fondly for a couple of seconds. 

"Tu me regardes dans les yeux?"

[You're looking at me in the eye?]

He asked and she nodded. 

"Je… Je pense que j'y crois, Lucien. Je pense que tout ça n'est pas un mensonge."

[I… I think I am believing it, Lucien. I think all this is not a lie.] 

He straightened his back more for his face to get closer to hers. She understood and bent down and let him take her lips. Both of them were extremely skilled and mastered the art of conveying a message in the twist of a lip. 

She was saying that she had fallen. She had fallen deep and hard. She had fallen deep, hard and honestly. She had meant everything she had told him about his hair, the lines on his face, how handsome she found him, and yes, she wanted him to be her Prince.

He was saying that each time their eyes met, he felt like a powerful punch in his guts. It wasn't Cupid's arrow at that point, no, it was much stronger. It wasn't a flutter of the heart, it was something deeper, much deeper. Her voice was enough to make him fall on his knees, defenseless. But then her touch… It was bewitching. It seemed as though she knew exactly where and how to touch him to make him melt. He was hers. He was absolutely and entirely hers.

Their lips parted and they stared at each other more. The sun had risen and was filling the suite with a golden light. His eyes shone beautifully and hers seemed caramel. Her eyes were brown, they weren't black at all! Oh, and when he thought that her face was engraved in his brain...! He loved it, he absolutely adored it. That woman was a mystery that he was unveiling. He would continue doing so until he gets to her very heart and until she understands that what he feels for her is genuine.

They smiled at each other. Their messages were sent through their warm embrace and well received. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leant her head on his shoulder, hugging him. He laced an arm around her waist and… He wanted to put his hand on her thigh, to hold her better. His hand hovered there for a second, as if to ask for permission. She saw it and putting one of her hands on top of his, she pushed it against her thigh before wrapping her arm around his neck tenderly again.

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading this bit of floof :D

Please let me know what you think in the comments, it boosts me up :) !

See you!

  
  
  
  



	27. Chapter 27

There was an all too familiar knock on the van's door. 

"Come in!" 

Leila pushed the door and found her friend polishing his rifle on the sofa. 

"Hello, Princess!"

"Good morning Lawrence, may I?" 

"O'course!"

She sat on the sofa next to him. 

"So, how was it? Was he good with you? Do I need to and punch his lyin', backstabbin' face of a-"

"Alright, alright, Snoop, calm down. You don't need to do any of that. I'll tell you what happened."

"You don't mind if I continue cleaning my gun while you talk?"

"Oh no, please do."

He nodded and she took a deep breath.

"So he took me to that French place we've been to."

"Oh? Didn't you tell him that you already took me there?"

"Yes I did. But you should have seen his face when I told him that we've been there together before… He seemed a bit distraught…"

"Good!" 

"Lawrence…"

"Roight, roight, sorry. So, what happened next?"

She told him about the food, about them sharing a dessert. 

"Nothin' to feel special about, I did that with ya." He said disdainfully against the Frenchman and it made her smile.

She continued with how he had stolen the cherry from  _ right under her bloody nose! _

"The scoundrel…" Sniper said, shaking his head.

"Non, Snoop, it was  _ amazing.  _ One second the cherry was there and the next it went away!" 

"Yeah back where I come from we call that theft in broad daylight!" He exclaimed and she chuckled. 

"He then asked me to dance with him."

"Did you accept?"

"Oui and… And I've never had such a good dancing partner before!" 

The Australian raised his eyes off his rifle, she was looking through the window opposite them as if she was seeing it all happen again.

"He made me spin and bend as if we had done that all our lives, it was… it was exceptional but…"

"But?" 

"Lawrence, it was perfect. It was absolutely perfect, but deep down I was afraid it was all but a cunning lie. After all, I knew about his reputation." 

"Hm, I see."

"So I asked him to drive us back to the base. And he was furious. I could feel how tense he was on the driver's seat next to me. I felt guilty."

"Guilty? Of what?"

"Of… Had he been sincere, I would have put him through so much pain with my cold-blooded attitude… So I, uh, I put my hand on his and I asked him to tell me what was wrong with him. He seemed genuinely distraught and stopped the car. He tried hard to get those words out, but still didn't manage. He got angry and drove again until  _ I  _ asked him to stop the car."

"Oh…?"

"He exited the car and walked back and forth, boiling with rage."

"Why?" He asked. 

"I'm not entirely sure… It seemed like he wanted to get something out but part of him was holding something it back." 

"Ha…!" The Australian chuckled. 

"What?"

"Don't tell me you don't know what he was trying to say!"

"How should I know, I'm not in his head! And he's a spy!" She answered.

"And you're another one!" He replied. "You should be as clever as he is, if not more!" 

"What?!" She exclaimed. 

"You're a woman, you should sniff these things from miles away!" 

"I what?!"

"Leila," The Australian put his rifle away and looked her in the eye. "Before I went to get you, he came to me."

"Why?"

"To know which suit you'd like best. He came to me van with that" He pointed at the suitcase. "Filled with suits and kept on trying them on one after the other, askin' me which one he should go with."

"He came to  _ you _ ?!" 

The Australian nodded. 

" _ I'm as embarrassed as you are surprised,  _ he said. But yeah, he did ask me cause I'm both the only one who knows you and also 'cause he wanted to impress ya."

"He wanted to impress  _ me?!" _

"Both of you're bloody thick, I swear… But go ahead with yer story. He stopped the car again and what?"

She ignored his comment and went on. 

"And… And we had a serious discussion. I said to him that if he couldn't tell me what he wanted with words, he should show me."

"Oh, what did he do then?"

"He, uh, he-he, I mean we…"

"Just say it, Princess." He out a hand on her shoulder. 

She lowered her head.

"We kissed."

She didn't see her friend smile. 

"Well he took his time, I'll give him that!" 

She raised her head again. 

"What?" 

"Also you lied to me Princess."

" _ What?!" _

"You told me the other day that if you were interested in a man, you'd go and get him."

"Yes, and?"

"Clearly, that didn't happen with the RED Spy, hm?"

"I wasn't interested in him."

"But you let him kiss you?" He asked. 

"Worse than that, Lawrence, I kissed him back."

He raised an eyebrow. 

"So how do you feel about it all?"

"To be really honest, I… He was braver and went for it but not before I insisted quite a bit. I think originally he thought I'd fall for him as easily as the million women before me did."

"But?" Sniper anticipated something. 

"But he's a cunning man and very skilled liar. Non, he could be lying for all I know. However once I was, uh," She bit her cheek and got embarrassed." Maybe I shouldn't bother you with all that." 

"What are you talkin' about, you're not bothering me. Besides, if you don't talk it out to me, then who're you gonna go and talk to, Scout?" 

She stuck her tongue out in disgust.

"Ah, non!" 

"Then tell me. And you know I'm just jokin' roight? You can tell me anything." He insisted. 

"Alright, then here is the truth, at least on my side of things. Lawrence, never have I shared a sweeter evening with a man. I have been to countless dinners, ceremonies and such. Countless men have approached me but they all lacked what he has. When we danced, everything flowed perfectly and when we kissed, my legs gave up. Oui, the truth is that I wanted that as much as he seemed to."

She paused to catch her breath. 

"Lawrence, he showed me his face without the mask and he's… gorgeous, simply irresistible. I sat in his car staring at his face, trying to carve all the details in my memory before he would his mask back on. I showed him my face too and that's when he showed me that he was carrying a picture of me in his vest everywhere."

"What?! How did he get it?"

"Marc, my former instructor. He gave it to him, but Lu- uh, the RED Spy asked Marc to cover parts of my face with tape because he respected my will for privacy, and my wearing a mask."

"Oh… That's quite nice actually…"

She nodded. 

"When we got back here, I didn't want the night to end like that. I didn't want to fall asleep and wake up realising it was only a fantasy, a dream. So we spent the night together." 

"Oh… Well you're bloody quick!" The Australian opened wide eyes. 

"Non, non! That's not what you think! We just, we just slept together but-but nothing more." 

"Oh, roight, okay… I was gonna say, that's escalated fast enough as it is!" 

"Indeed." She confirmed. "When I woke up, he was making breakfast for the both of us,  _ in a single plate. _ " 

The Australian raised an eyebrow, he wouldn't have thought of doing that for a loved one. 

"Lawrence, I'm obviously delighted that he should  _ like _ me the way he does but I'm also very wary."

"D'you think he's sincere?"

"That's the million dollar question. I genuinely do not know."

"But you pretend that you roll with the situation as it is because…?" He asked. 

"Because, to put it very simply, he's the man I would kill to have at my side." 

The Australian's eyebrows jumped and his lips parted.

"Actually, it makes sense." He said after a couple of seconds of silence. "He's a spy so he knows how dangerous can be, he knows you very well because of what you mentor told him, and don't tell him that I said it, but he looked amazin' with that blue suit."

"Ah, well, speaking of that…" Leila seemed awkward all of a sudden. She put a hand behind her neck and looked away from her friend's gaze. 

"What? Is there a problem?" 

"He uhm… He guessed that women are not exactly your thing…"

" _ What?!"  _ The Australian's heart raced and he felt hot suddenly. 

"I didn't tell him anything, believe me, I would never do that."

"How did he know?!"

"We were in his car and discussing things. He asked me if I couldn't, you know, be more friendly with him, because of you, as if you were my lover."

"Oh and then you told him?"

"Non, I didn't. I said that it wasn't true, you weren't interested in me. And he said that the only way a man couldn't be interested in me is if he wasn't into women at all…"

"Ah, well… I-I guess he's roight…" The Australian answered. 

"Don't worry, your secret is in good hands with us."

"Yeah, well, I hope so. I trust you, Princess. It's him I'm more scared of."

"Who are you telling this to…?" She answered with a sigh. 

"But let's come back to your story. You said you clearly wanted to get to him, roight?" He asked. 

"I guess one could phrase it that way, yes." She answered. 

"So you love him?" 

She felt the blood rush to her cheeks and her ears went hot. She wasn't yet ready to answer. 

_ \-- Spies' suite --  _

The Frenchman knew where she was and that she needed that time to talk to her friend. He stayed home and cleaned the suite. The kittens were following him left and right while he was thinking to himself. 

He didn't manage to tell her straight away that he had fallen for her and couldn't think of any woman who could meet his desires better. She was all he dreamed of. 

Not only was she ravishing, beautiful, as gorgeous as a woman could get. Her thin silhouette, her cat-like gait, her black curls… She had the grace of a feline and the mystery of it too, like a panther. 

She was also a spy, like him. And what a spy… She had left quite early in her career unlike him, but her name was starting to echo in everyone's mouth all across the globe. What a killer duet, him and her, quite literally…

Something he liked with her and never experienced before, was her repartee. She was extremely witty in her comebacks, and the way she would talk to him. She'd always have the right words to push his buttons. He adored it. He'd always dreamed of finding a lady who wouldn't just be a princess to spoil, but someone with a strong character, clear ambitions and desires. And Leila was ticking all the boxes perfectly! 

Lucien sighed. He couldn't wait for her to come back. He was missing her. 

\--  _ Later that day -- _

"Hello, Lucien!" 

Leila entered the suite. 

"What time do you call this, Princesse?" The voice sat on the sofa answered. 

"Should I understand that you've missed me?"

"More than you could imagine."

She removed her coat and locked the door, which then allowed her to remove her mask. Leila joined Lucien on the sofa and found him reading his magazine, the cats playing at his feet.

"Wait, you've cleaned the place?"

She looked around her.

"Oui, I hope you don't mind?"

"Not at all, thank you very much for the effort!"

She wanted to leave a peck on his cheek, but refrained from doing so. Instead, she just sat next to him and leant her head on his shoulder.

"My pleasure."

Lucien answered, wrapping an arm around her and squeezing her closer to himself. 

"So did you tell Sniper about last night?" 

"Uh, yes, I did." She was surprised, but not entirely. Lucien knew she couldn't confide in anyone else. 

"What did he say?"

"He asked me if you treated me well or if he should come and punch your ugly face."

"To which you answered?" 

"That a punch was maybe a bit too much, a gentle slap across the face would do." She cheekily answered.

"What?!" 

"Maybe with a chair?"

"What the hell?!" He repeated and she laughed. 

"Hahaha, non, don't worry, I told him you couldn't have treated me better. Also, your face is far from ugly."

"You really told him that?"

"I might have."

She looked up at him and he looked down at her. He left a peck on her forehead and she closed her eyes, smiling.

"May I tell you something?" 

Lucien asked, putting the magazine away.

"Sure, go ahead."

"Give me your hand, ma belle." 

She obliged and he laced his fingers with hers.

"You never asked why I came back to my base late on the day before my team disappeared." 

"Oui, I don't know how that could be relevant to anything." She answered, shrugging. 

"Well, I was in town."

"Ah, so was I." She remembered it was that day that Sniper had taken her to the Australian place.

"I… I know." He answered and she instantly raised her head to look at him. He removed his mask and sighed. "I will tell you the truth, Leila. I was in that same restaurant you were with your Sniper."

"You what?!" 

He lowered his head shamefully.

"I was there because I was following you." 

Her jaw dropped and she removed her hand from his. 

"Why?"

"Because… Because… I mean I…"

"You were spying on me." She answered, rage filling her body from her feet up. 

"Indeed. I had noticed the previous spy had quitted his position and wanted to know more about you." 

"You spied on me." She repeated. 

"I do apologise. I feel like I have done something that I shouldn't have and I am regretting it. Back then, I didn't… I mean I didn't see you as I do today. Back then, I was trying to understand what your relationship with your Sniper was."

"What?!"

"The man who rudely bumped on you as you were exiting the restaurant, do you remember him?"

"I hardly saw his face he was-" Her pupils shrank. "It was you?!"

He lowered his head and nodded slowly. 

"Why are you telling me this, Spy?" She asked coldly and the fact that she called him by his class hurt him. Leila moved away from him on the sofa. 

"Because I  _ need _ to be truthful to you." 

"Why? Why the uncharacteristic frankness?"

"Leila, I can't bear lying to you. You… You don't deserve it. In the end, that is the reason why I came back late in the base." He wasn't looking her in the eye.

Lucien carded his hair back in place as the front white lock was falling down. She bent her head on the side and frowned. 

She fell deep in thought. There is no way he could have known about that stranger bumping on her other than if  _ he _ was that stranger. So he wasn't lying on that. Come to think of it, it's quite surprising that he would tell her about it all. Recon missions were usual business for spies but they would never disclose it to the person that they were enquiring about. Why would he do that? Why would he tell her? 

"Elaborate on what you said. I'm not sure I understand you." She said.

"I… At first I was doing it out of professional curiosity. I had a file on everyone both on RED and BLU. But when I really met you, I… Leila, you broke the spy in me without actually doing anything." He raised his eyes to meet hers. "I look at you now and I can't utter a single lie, no matter how small it is! And I have more than 25 years of experience!"

She raised an eyebrow. 

"Leila, no one, not any torture, no man, no woman ever did to me what  _ you _ are." 

"And what is that, Spy?" 

"Please, stop calling me that. When I'm with you, I am not a spy, not anymore." 

"What are you then?"

"In love." He answered, extended a hand to her. "I am… I am in love with you like I barely have been before. Something pulls me to you constantly. When you're here, I want to hold you, make sure you won't go away and when you leave, I miss you, I look for you and my heart can only find peace when I see you again." 

"Cut the cheap romance, Lucien. You have spied on me  _ 'to satisfy your professional curiosity' _ , hm? And now you tell me all of it. How am I supposed to react?!" 

"Just… Just be honest." He asked. 

"Well then here we go," She answered angrily, the tone of her voice growing louder after each word. "Lucien, I started to trust you, I really did. I cannot understand how sometimes you can be the cold-blooded spy that everyone sees and other times you're…! Argh! Damn you!" 

She left the sofa and locked herself in her room. Leila sat on her bed and pondered until a knock on the door broke her train of thought.

"Go away." She said.

"Non." Lucien pushed the door and entered. 

"What word do you not understand and 'go away'!?" She shouted. 

"All of them! Listen to me, Leila, please!"

"Non,  _ you _ listen to me! You arrogant, selfish, absolute-" She stood up and went to him. They were both standing face to face . "You absolute idiot!" 

"Yes I am! I know,  _ d'accord! _ "

[I agree!]

"And I still don't understand why you would tell me that you spied on me!"

"I told you, don't you ever listen?!" 

"Oh that's big coming from you, Lucien!"

"Excuse me?! When did I ever not listen to you?! I am drinking the words of your very lips!"

"ENOUGH! I DON'T UNDERSTAND YOU, I-I…!" She was fuming with rage.

"I DON'T UNDERSTAND MYSELF EITHER! I AM LOST, I'M LOOKING AT MYSELF IN THE MIRROR AND THE ONLY THING I SEE IS YOU!" He shouted back. 

"WHY ARE YOU SO COMPLICATED?!" She yelled at him, tapping his chest with an accusing index finger. 

"ME?! Non Leila! I can't let you say that! Since I've met you, I've become shamelessly idiotic!"

"Well then go to hell and become an intelligent being again!"

"Never!" He answered.

She raised her angry eyes with his. 

"Why?! What is holding you back?! I certainly am not!" 

"I can see that! What is holding me back is… It's…" He couldn't spit it out.

"You're a coward, you can't even take responsibility of what you feel." She spat disdainfully at him.

He snapped like a dried branch and he felt himself crack everywhere.

"I CAN'T LET YOU SAY THAT! I'VE BEEN TELLING YOU COUNTLESS TIMES AND AGAIN WHAT I FEEL, LEILA, YOU'RE JUST NOT LISTENING!" 

"Oh then pray repeat it! Because apart from 'you're a beautiful princess' - which I've heard about a billion times before - I haven't heard anything that sounds true and genuine from you!"

"YOU MADE ME LOSE MY MIND!" He shouted. 

"AND I AM NOT GOING TO APOLOGISE! AGAIN, FEEL FREE TO LEAVE IF THAT'S SUCH A PROBLEM!"

"I CAN'T!"

"MAIS PUTAIN, POURQUOI?!" 

[BLOODY HELL, WHY?!"]

She was out of her mind.

"PARCE QUE JE-..." He still couldn't say it. "Putain de merde…" 

[BECAUSE I… Bloody hell…]

He spun on his heels, took his mask and jacket and exited the suite, making her startle as he slammed the door shut on his way out.

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks a lot! 

I'll see you for the next chapter :)

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	28. Chapter 28

The evening was dark and the Frenchman had nowhere to go. He stayed outside of the base, walking around aimlessly, smoking cigarette after cigarette. It was getting cold too but the rage boiling inside him kept him warm. He was looking at his feet taking the steps in front of him, kicking whatever rock happened to cross his path, the red soil staining his expensive shoes as he kicked more rocks. 

He wasn't realising it but he was just walking in a big loop around the base and had already completed half a dozen laps. 

Lucien was fuming. He was mad at Leila for not understanding him and himself for not managing to explain it to her. Thinking back at his life, it had never been hard to say it: _je t'aime_ , I love you. And as they say in French, he had _used and abused_ that sentence. He had uttered it a billion times, that sentence, those three words. 

He had meant it once before, with Jérémy's mother. And he really thought that his life would make sense by that point. But no, - he threw his cigarette butt and lit another one - the truth was that love like a lightning bolt struck him only now. What he felt for Leila was stronger. He had that feeling that with Jérémy's mother, he had to change himself quite a bit to make it all work. Bah, such is the price of trying to build something with someone. There are rules one has to follow to accommodate for the other person. However with Leila, things were drastically different. He could be _himself._ He didn't have to hide or pretend anything. 

She was everything he was looking for in a woman, even despite having abandoned the mad hopes of finding it. Such a woman existed and she was just a few metres away! 

But for some reason, he couldn't manage to get the words out to tell her. And even when he did, she didn't listen.

"Oi! Who're you and what the bloody hell are you doin' there?!" 

The Frenchman raised his head. 

"Huh?" 

"Oh, Spy, it's you?! Blimey, you scared me!"

The Australian was just outside of his van, a rifle on his back and a kukri in his hand. He put his kukri away.

"What are you doing here in the middle of the bloody night?" 

"Nothing that concerns you, Bushman."

Sniper heard the coldness in the tone of voice and guessed it. 

"Oooh, someone's got thrown out of the room…!"

"Non, I exited of my own free will." 

"Yeah, roight… Come follow me."

The Australian and the Frenchman found themselves in the van in no time. Lawrence flipped a switched to get some light. 

"Crickey, how many cigs have ya smoked?! Yer eyes are so red!"

The Frenchman grumbled an answer, a cigarette between his lips. Lawrence extended a hand to him. 

"I won't let you get wasted on yer own. Give us a cig'."

Lucien rolled his eyes up and put a hand in his jacket to get his cigarette case out. He elegantly flipped it open and Lawrence took one. He lit it and started puffing on it. 

"Roight, now we can talk. Let me ask you something first."

"Hm?"

"Did you really spend the night together?"

"Bushman!"

"No, seriously! Did you _just sleep?"_

"Oh, you disgust me! Do I go about asking about your private life, jar-man?!"

"Well I'm just surprised a bloke like you didn't try to… Y'know…"

"You disgust me so much. I would never even dream of touching her without her wanting me to."

"Yeah you'd better, cause if you do, you'll find a bullet between yer eyes… So what's yer problem."

"Not your business, Sniper."

"Look, either you tell me now and I can try and help, or I leave you here and go ask her."

The Frenchman frowned harder.

"Fine. We argued."

"About what?"

"I told her the truth on my whereabouts the day before my teammates disappeared, which essentially explains why I got spared."

"Ah, let's hear it."

Lawrence sat next to Lucien on the sofa, putting a mug between the two of them to use as an ashtray.

"I was having dinner in town."

"Ah, ok, so what?"

"In the same restaurant as the both of you." 

Sniper's eyes snapped wide. 

"What? What were you doin' there?"

"I won't lie to you, I was following her."

"You creepy bastard! Listen here, there's no way I'm letting you live back with her, I don't care if you sleep under a cactus, but you're not getting close to her ever again!"

"Non, Sniper, you're not getting it! It was out of professional curiosity. But that's not the problem."

"I'll try and believe that you're not some old pervert for argument's sake. But even if your following her isn't _the_ current problem, it _is_ one."

"I know."

"So what's _the_ problem then?"

"The problem is that I felt I needed to tell her."

Sniper frowned, he wasn't understanding it. 

"Sniper, think! I've done similar missions countless times and again before but I never told my target that I had been following them."

"You're the weirdest bloke I've ever met…" Sniper put a hand on his face and let it sink from his brow down to his chin. "So why did you tell her?"

"Because…" The same paralysis took the Frenchman.

"Because?"

"Because…"

"Spy, if you don't say it, I won't guess it."

"I know!" The Frenchman started to get mildly irritated.

"So say it, bloody hell! How hard can it be?!" The Australian answered loudly.

"It is extremely hard! Do you mind giving me a second to collect my thoughts, jar-man?!"

"Mate, you've gotta be honest at some point! Even I don't know what to think of you anymore!"

"I… Argh…"

The Frenchman put his hands on his temples.

"I don't know what to think myself, Sniper."

"Go ahead."

"I… She is everything to me."

"Does she know it? Did you tell her?"

"I tried."

"And?"

"She's refusing to hear it."

"What exactly did you tell her?"

"I'm not telling you that, Sniper! This is absolutely private, you know enough as it is!"

The Australian smirked. 

"Roight then I'll go and ask her!" He stood up from the couch.

"Fine! I'll tell you!"

Sniper sat back on the sofa. 

"I told her that I was in love with her like I rarely loved anyone in my life before."

Lucien bent forward and hid his face in his hands. 

"That sounds awfully exaggerated… And she didn't hear you?" 

"She doesn't want to hear any of it."

"But did you say it like that though?"

"I did."

"Did you say 'I love you'?" 

"Sniper, I'm tired of this interrogation."

"Did you?"

The Frenchman sighed. 

"Non, I didn't."

"Well there's yer problem. Quit the drama and go straight to the point."

"Pfff… What would it change now? I've ruined everything. She probably doesn't want to see me again." 

"You're bloody thick, the both of ya. Listen here, go to her and tell her that you love her but stop going round and round around the point, ok?"

"It's too hard."

"Why? Isn't it what you really feel?"

"Of course it is!"

"So where's the issue?!"

"Sniper…"

"Don't tell me you're such a Spook that you can't say the truth?!"

" _Aha_ , most entertaining…" The Frenchman said sarcastically. "Non, I just am… scared."

"Scared? You?"

"Bushman, if you could spare me the sarcasm…"

"Roight, roight, sorry I can't help it. So you're scared but of what exactly?"

"I don't know. I'm scared because it's new. I've never fallen for a woman that hard before. Sometimes, the mere sound of her voice sends shivers down my spine, my knees get weak and-and… Sniper, I had to feign love so many times, I forgot it could be so true."

"I'm so glad I'm not a spy."

"As you should be. But yes, Sniper, I love her madly. I am furious I can't be with her now, I miss her so much."

"Well then what are you doin' here?"

"But-?"

The Australian stood up off the couch, and opened his van's backdoor. 

"Just go, apologise and be honest with her!"

"Alright. I think you're right."

"Of course I bloody am! Now go! Ya stupid backstabbin', ever-lastin' idiot of a-"

"Right, right, I got it!"

The Frenchman exited the van and headed for, well, _their_ room. He crossed the corridor as determined as an angry bull and put his hand on the door handle.

"Merde."

She had locked all three locks.

"Qu'à cela ne tienne."

[Let it be so.]

Lucien got his cigarette case out and flipped it open elegantly. He delicately put his fingers behind the cigarettes and retrieved two pins. In no time, the locks yielded and he pushed the door open. He made his entrance as noiseless as possible. 

She was in her room lying on her side of the bed, hugging his pillow. He pulled the door and entered her room. Not even the air swooshed under his stealthy movements. 

"Go away." She said and he heard her voice crack. 

He came closer and sat on the bed, next to her back. She hugged his pillow tighter. 

"Je te demande pardon."

[I apologise.]

She sniffed but apart from that, she didn't react. She was wearing her night dress and gown, lying on the bed, distraught. 

"Leila?"

Still no answer. 

"Leila, je t'aime."

[Leila, I love you.]

She rolled on the bed to face him, her eyes were wide, red and swollen. She had cried.

"Vraiment?"

[Really?]

He removed his gloves from his hands and let them fall on the floor. His mask soon followed. He put the back of his hand on her cheek and brushed it slowly. He nodded slowly, a sad smile on his lips.

"Je t'aime comme un fou."

[I love you like a madman.]

"J'aimerais te croire parce que… Parce que je t'aime aussi."

[I would like to believe you because… Because I love you too.]

His face softened, his eyelids slowly closed on his eyes as she raised her hand to cup his cheek. He took her hand and kissed it before putting back on his cheek. 

"Embrasse-moi." She asked.

[Kiss me.]

"Avec plaisir."

[My pleasure.]

He answered before bending down and dropping his lips on hers. He felt her wrap her hands around his face, pulling him down stronger. He let his hands run along her side and slide under her back. Lucien then lifted her strongly enough to make her sit and he tightened his embrace on her. She couldn't hold back a moan and he felt her fingers clench harder through his hair. 

They withdrew from each other just enough to stare at each other's eyes. 

"Tu m'as manqué." 

[I missed you.]

"Toi aussi, j'ai cru que tu ne reviendrais pas."

[You too, I thought you wouldn't come back.]

"Je t'ai déjà dit. _Jamais_ je ne veux te quitter."

[I told you already. Never do I want to leave your side.]

She took the collar of his shirt in her hands and pulled him down. This time, he let her have her way. She kissed his lips quickly and he felt her finger fidget with his tie. He smiled.

"You don't like my tie?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows. 

She pulled his head to whisper in his ear.

"Not around your neck…" He blushed and kissed her more strongly. 

He never knew he could find her and she never knew she could find him. Yet here they were, on their bed, legs mingled and breaths exchanged. She put her hands on the first button of his shirt. 

"Je peux?"

[May I?] 

She prudely asked and he blushed. He couldn't recall the last time a woman _asked_ before doing it. 

"Bien sûr."

[Of course.]

She unbuttoned the first few buttons and he stared at her crossed eyes. 

"I hope I haven't drenched your pillow…" She said.

"You cried on it?"

"It smells of you." She answered as she got done with the button. Her pupils dilated at the expanse of naked flesh in front of her. There were scars and burn marks scattered here and there but she didn't see them. Non, she pulled him to lie next to him and he did, on his back. She propped herself on her elbows and lost her fingers on his chest. His hairs showed his age there too, the grey patches reminded her that… That she was safe in the arms of an older man. 

She raised her eyes from his chest to his eyes and smiled. 

"Tu es si beau…"

[You are so handsome…]

"Pfff… Have you seen your own self, ma belle?"

She smiled and felt the blood rush in her cheeks. He cupped her face and pulled her to lie down. She used his shoulder as a pillow and put a hand on his chest, tracing shapes, loops and circles. He put his hand on her wrist and caressed it gently.

"Je t'aime. Pardon de n'avoir pas pu te le dire mieux, ou plus tôt, mais je t'aime tout simplement."

[I love you. I'm sorry to not having been able to tell you better or earlier, but I simply love you.]

"Je t'aime aussi, Lucien."

[I love you too, Lucien.]

And they spend a great deal of their night whispering in each other's ears all the words they hadn't managed to say before. The dam of their emotions broke and everything they had held back spilled in a powerful stream. He drowned her in sweet words, in the affection that he caged up for years without realising it. 

He was now free from his restrictions as a spy, he was free to love unconditionally, and she had been a spy too. She knew the risks and how to defend herself. It was perfect. He didn't have to pretend, he could just let himself go and get dragged and pulled to his heart's will. 

She let him tell her everything he had on his heart and Lord did he have a lot to share! It pained her a bit to see that he never had anyone to confide in. But then again, she never had that privilege either, being a spy. However, she wasn't a secret agent anymore and neither was he. They could love each other like any other two people, without hiding, without fear. 

"Mon Dieu, I think I've never talked so much about myself and what I feel to anyone in… For as far as I can remember actually…" He said as he put a hand on his forehead.

"Merci." She answered.

"Why?"

"For trusting me."

"Leila, I love you, it's stronger than trust." 

"It's also much more difficult."

"Non, not with you."

She turned to lie on her stomach and propped herself on her elbows again. She put her index between his eyes and let it slide down his nose and his lips. He kissed her index and smiled. She returned the grin. 

"I'll get your pyjama." 

"You're too nice." He answered. 

"Yes, I am, amongst other things." She arrogantly said as she opened her clothes wardrobe.

"Wait, will you give me one of your night dresses?!"

"Non, don't worry." 

She took a black satin pyjama shirt and matching trousers. They had white cashmere motifs. 

"Did you…?" He asked and she knelt on the bed next to him who sat up. 

"Oui, I put your clothes out of your suitcase, in the wardrobe. It's nonsensical to have you carry your suitcase everywhere like a homeless man. You're home is here now with me… I mean, if you so wish. I would never force you." 

Lucien removed his white shirt and put on his night one. Leila took it away from him and exited the room. 

"Where are you going?"

"In the living room. You're getting a change afterall…" 

"Does that make you uncomfortable if I get changed in front of you?" He asked. 

"Uncomfortable is definitely not the right word. But it's fine, I'll come back in a minute." 

She went to the kitchen and prepared some herbal tea. 

"Huh!" 

She got startled and let a soft cry escaped. The Frenchman had come behind her and was hugging her tenderly. 

"Qu'est-ce que tu fais?"

[What are you up to?]

"Making some herbal tea."

"Oh, merci. That's a nice thought." 

He wrapped his hands around her stomach and was resting his chin on her shoulder, watching her prepare the cups. She stopped for a second and only turned her head slightly. She wanted to appreciate the simplicity of it. They were in the kitchen, she was making a cup of tea for, well, _her lover._ Who would have thought that she would feel it? The feeling of being, body and soul, on the same wavelength as the man her mind was busy with. 

"Je pourrai te regarder tout le temps et ne pas me lasser. Tu es magnifique."

[I could stare at you all the time and not tire out. You are magnificent.]

She bit her lip. 

"I'm flattered you should find me so."

The Frenchman chuckled and as she poured the hot water from the kettle to the mugs, he nuzzled in her neck. 

"Lucien, attends, je risque de me brûler, sois patient!"

[Lucien, wait, I could burn myself, please be patient!]

She finished with the hot water and the second she put the kettle down she felt him leave a trail of kisses on her shoulder.

"Mmmh… Lucien, tu veux bien prendre ta tasse?" 

[Mmmh… Lucien, do you mind taking your mug?]

"Avec plaisir, petite fleur."

[That would be my pleasure, little flower.]

He did as he was told and they both found themselves on the bed again, their backs against the wall, drinking their hot beverage with one hand, their other ones holding each other. 

"You haven't answered me Lucien." She said.

"About what?"

"Would you… Consider this flat yours?" She shyly asked.

He looked at her to answer.

"Only if your heart is."

She got shivers. 

"Of course it is, Lucien." Her answer came in a half whisper. 

"In that case, I gladly accept." 

They looked each other in the eyes lovingly and put their empty mugs away. Leila leant on his shoulder, and still looking up at him, she said:

"Bienvenue à la maison, Lucien."

[Welcome home, Lucien.]

He smiled softly.

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks a lot for reading! 

Drop me a line in the comments if you want to encourage me, I deeply appreciate it :)

See you,


	29. Chapter 29

Lucien opened his eyes first. Leila was still asleep next to him. Apparently, the last thing they were doing before falling asleep was spooning. Thus he found her in his arms as his consciousness slowly crept back up in his mind. He smiled and took a deep breath. He loved her perfume. Obviously he didn't want to wake her up so he didn't move much. He didn't need to, neither did he want to anyway. He was comfortable enough and couldn't dream of being stuck in a more pleasant position. 

His mind rolled back to what he had told her the day before. 

"Don't you find it poetic in a way?"

"What?" 

"You and me, together? The best spy France saw during the Second World War, and the one who succeeded him."

"Pff, flatterer, I am not the next best spy after you." She answered. 

"Yes you are. I had echoes of your name and I do believe that the Ministry would pay a fortune to get you back."

"Did you tell Marc where I am?"

"Non." 

"Why?"

"Because he wants you back and…"

"And?" She asked. 

"You will think I am selfish again, but I don't want you to work as a spy again."

She raised an eyebrow. 

"Lucien?"

"I realise this sounds incredibly disrespectful. This should be _your_ call to make, not mine."

"Lucien?" She repeated. 

"I should have told you about this earlier. As much as France wants me to come back as an instructor, they want you back on the field."

"Lucien, please?"

He turned his head to look at her. 

"Are you angry with me because I hid this from you?" He asked. 

"Do I sound angry?"

"Non."

"Then I am not. Non, if I wanted to go back, I would have. I resigned and disappeared. It's better that way."

"Why?"

"Because I want a normal life."

"Says the mercenary."

"Oui but at least this way I don't feel chased by the entirety of the secret intelligence forces in the world." She says. 

"In any case, from now on, you can relax and not worry about it at all." He confidently asserted. 

"Can I?" 

"Oui."

"You seem awfully sure of yourself." She said. 

"That's because I would rather them find me and take me, than you. Non, I will personally make sure that they will never find you, Princesse." 

Her smile made him melt.

"Merci, mon bel homme."

[Thanks, my handsome man.]

They shared a quick kiss and she laid her head on his chest again.

"May I tell you something?" He asked. 

"Lucien, I _want_ you not to tell me something, but to tell all the things. Please, do not ask and just speak your mind."

"Fine, as my Princesse wants." He left a peck on her head. "I feel so free with you. I don't even know how to describe this. It's… It's such a comfortable and luxurious feeling. Is this what people mean when they say that love is undescribable? Is it what I'm feeling?"

"Whatever you want to call it, I understand it. I feel it too." She answered, as she felt his fingers lace between hers and clench her hand. "With you, I don't need to hide who I am, what I was and how dangerous being around me is."

"Exactly. And that gives us the freedom to just be ourselves, without caring about putting the other in danger." Lucien concluded. 

"Oui, it's true." 

"Although, to be fully honest…" He started hesitantly. 

"Oui?"

"I would rather risk my skin but spend my days with you, than live safely without you, Leila. I'm tired of this life. I'm tired of running and hiding. I want to shed my skin like a snake and start anew."

"Oh how I understand you. There are days where I go to bed and hope I can wake up and people just forget about me."

"Mon Dieu, that's dreadful! Viens ici…"

[Come here…]

The Frenchman wrapped his arms around his Princess and held her tightly.

\--- 

The train of the Frenchman's thought was broken by Leila waking up next to him. 

"Mmmh…"

"Oh, tu es réveillée?"

[Oh, you are awake?]

She yawned and stretched her arms. 

"Oui…"

"Bonjour, Princesse." 

She smiled and turned to face him, her eyes still closed. He felt her legs mingle with his and she buried her head under his chin. 

"Mmh, someone is cuddly in the morning…?"

She nodded and Lucien kissed her head. 

"Tu es adorable." 

[You're adorable.]

Leila's smile widened. She pushed him to lie on his back and put her head on his chest, hugging him like she would a big teddy bear. He lost his fingers in her short curls, massaging her head slowly, a satisfied smile on his lips.

"Leila?"

"Mmh?" 

"Je t'aime."

[I love you.]

He felt her squeeze him a bit more between her arms.

"Je t'aime aussi…"

[I love you too…] 

Rarely did she wake up in a man's arms. Despite having had more adventures than there were countries in the world, she would make her exit in the middle of the night and not wake up in the arms of the man she had begun her night with. 

And what a great feeling it was to wake up in the arms of the man of one's dreams, his perfume intoxicating you in the sweetest manner, his warmth diffusing to your very core. 

His other hand was brushing her back, lightly scratching it, like he would a cat's. 

"Leila?"

"Hm?"

"Je suis fou de toi."

[I am in love with you, madly.]

"Moi aussi."

[Me too.]

She opened her eyes and laid on top of him. She stared down at him. He smiled. She put her hand on his face and caressed it, lovingly. Lucien bent his head to get more of his head in contact with her touch. Her fingers sank from his brow to his cheek, then from his nose to his lips. She brushed them, his thin lips and she melted. For some people thin lips were not considered attractive. But not for Leila. Lips tend to get thinner as one grows older anyway! That's the normal way of things. 

She didn't realise that he was devouring her with his eyes. Her big black eyes were crossing slightly as she was staring but he was looking at all the details of her face, every little thing that made her. And he fell deeper. Everything was harmony and poetry with her. The feline eyes, the long eyelashes, the caramel skin, the sound of her voice… 

He felt it in his insides. He wanted to get more in control. He rolled on his side and pushed her to lie on her back. Now _he_ was towering her. She bit her lip. 

Lucien slowly sank down and let his lips brush past hers. Leila let him lead the dance at his will. He kissed her as slowly as he could, taking his time to taste her lips. Her long breaths told him that she was falling hard. He slid a hand between the bed and her neck and pulled her head towards himself. His other hand was gliding from her side, next to her stomach, to her thigh. She shivered and her breath went in a staccato. Of course he felt it and couldn't hold back a proud smile. He loved the feeling of a woman losing her grip over reality to yield to him. It was a very selfish and egotistical thing, yes, but he adored it. 

And what woman was this? Leila, the best female spy the French had seen since the creation of France itself, a woman of such beauty that she bewitched every man on her path, but also a woman who was so kind-hearted that she managed the unmanageable: to make Lucien fall in love, _for real._

Her right hand went on his cheek whilst her left one went to grab his collar and pull him to herself. She had fallen, yes, but there was no way on Earth she would not reciprocate and show how deeply she loved him. 

The man was gorgeous, irresistible. Each time she looked at him, she would feel it in her guts. Her chest would contract, her legs would weaken. Not only was the sight of him a blessing for her, but it turned out that he was extremely respectful of her. It surprised her, quite frankly, that a man who collected love conquests like some would stamps or butterflies, wasn't a misogynist at all. She remembered when she invited him to sleep with her, how he stood at the room's threshold and didn't dare enter. She remembered how hesitant he was to touch her thigh. 

Non, definitely, he showed her an awful lot of respect. She wondered if he always behaved this way with women… 

But there was no time to think, he broke the kiss and looked down at her, his lips parted and wet. If his expression first showed that his mind had been blown away, he slowly landed back to Earth and smiled proudly. 

He wanted to speak, say something, anything! But he couldn't. His eyes were on hers and his mind, far away. 

"Lucien?"

"Oui?"

"Je crois que je n'ai jamais éprouvé ce que je ressens pour toi avant."

[I think I've never been through what I feel with you ever before.]

His smile widened. 

"Moi non plus."

[Neither have I.]

"May I ask you something?" She asked. 

"You just did." 

"Fine, I won't ask then…" She feigned indifference.

"Non, please, go ahead." 

She pulled him to lie down next to her and he let her do. She then lied on him again. He adjusted the blanket around them for her not to get cold.

"Have you… Have you always been like this with women?" 

"What do you mean?"

"You're… Argh, I wouldn't even know how to phrase it in French… But let's say you seem quite shy with me in a way."

"Me? Shy? How so?"

"Well sometimes you hold yourself back and… You know what I mean?"

"I'm not sure." 

"Alright, I will be more blunt, but please don't take it the wrong way." 

"Mh-hm." 

"I thought that you would be more _forward_ and given that you have a lot of experience with women, you'd assume that I'd just let you have your way with me. But no… Take for example when I told you to join me in my room and not sleep on the sofa, you actually stopped at the door and asked me if you could come in."

"Oui, and?"

"And I would never have imagined you'd do that. I thought you would come in straight and…"

"And…?"

"And maybe… You know… Try to have it your way with me…"

Finally it snapped in his head. 

"Oh, you mean you're surprised that we only _sleep_ at night, hm?"

"In a way, yes. I thought that with women you would… _do your business_ and move on…"

"Indeed, that is what I did."

"What?"

She raised her head to look him in the eye.

"You said it. I would _do my business_ and move on with ladies."

"Am I not a lady?"

"Non."

"Oh, great, I'm a man then…"

"Non plus."

[No to that too.]

"Qu'est-ce que je suis alors?"

[What am I then?]

He cupped her face. 

"Tu es la Princesse de mes rêves les plus fous. Tu es la femme dont je n'ai jamais pu imaginer l'existence. Tu es trop bonne pour être vraie, trop belle aussi."

[You are the Princess of my wildest dreams. You are the woman I couldn't imagine existed. You are too good to be true, too beautiful too.]

She smiled and he felt her cheeks go hot between his palms. 

"You are right, I do not treat you like the other women I've met. You don't deserve that and it would be disrespectful of me. Non, I treat you like the Queen that you are in my eyes." 

She hugged him tightly, burying her head below his chin.

"Tu vas finir par me faire rougir…!"

[I will end up blushing…!]

"Ah, my apologies, I don't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

"Who said anything about that? I couldn't feel further from uncomfortable." 

She left a quick peck in his neck and he chuckled. 

"Someone is ticklish?" She said.

"Not at all, I was just uhm… ah! Leila! Non!"

She continued kissing his neck and he giggled, trying to push her away.

"Mmmh? You really are ticklish!"

She played a bit more before stopping and looking at him. The man had burst out laughing, catching his breath with short snorts. She found it adorable. He wiped the tears that got into his eyes and took a moment to catch his breath. 

"You will have to pay dearly for this, Leila."

She got off the bed and looked back at him.

"I can't wait."

She wiggled her eyebrows and disappeared in the bathroom. 

_\-- Later that day --_

There was a knock at the van's door. 

"Come in, Princess!"

"Wrong, it is the Prince." 

Spy opened the door and let Leila step in first. 

"Hello, Snoop."

"Hey, take a seat!" 

There was enough space for two to sit there, but three was a bit too much. 

"After you." Lucien said politely.

"Non, after you." Leila insisted. 

"Yeah, c'mon darl', take a seat…!"

Sniper taunted the other man as he sat down and tapped the sofa next to himself. Spy blushed intensely out of surprise.

"Excuse me Sniper!?"

"Lawrence, hands off this one, he's mine!" Leila said with a smile.

"You sure? If you don't have'im, I might try my luck!" The Australian insisted just to see the Frenchman's terrified face for a bit longer.

"Pardon me?!" Lucien exclaimed.

Both Lawrence and Leila laughed and the Frenchman dropped himself on the sofa.

"Fine, laugh at me now. _Rira bien qui rira le dernier!"_

_['He who laughs last, will laugh well', French saying.]_

The French lady sat on his lap and he held back a gasp. Yep, that was a good way to accomodate 3 people on a 2-place couch… 

"So why did you come and see me?" The Australian asked. 

"To tell you for us, but together." Leila answered. "You're my best and only friend, Snoop, I want you to know for us."

"Oh I know already, when you kicked him out of the room, he was wanderin' around the base, smokin' like a bloody train when I found him!"

"She didn't kick me out! I told you, I left of my own free will!"

"Oh yeah, yer own _free will_ and then you came to me bein' like _'I miss her so much!'"_

"Bushman!" Spy was surprised the Australian would sell him out like that. But he saw Leila lowered her head and smile.

"What?! Dare tell me it's not true with her on yer lap now!"

"Filthy jar-man…" The Frenchman shook his head but hearing Leila laugh on his lap made him smile too. 

"So you too are together now?"

"If she can stand an old man, I do believe we are indeed uhm, what do you call that…?"

"A couple, Spy. We're a _couple."_

The look they exchanged told more than words could. Sniper sat back with the proudest smile. After all, he had helped!

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks y'all for reading :)

Leave a comment if you want, I read and appreciate them all! :)

See you!

  
  
  



	30. Chapter 30

"So what's the plan?" 

All the mercenaries had gathered in the living room. Engie, Solly and Demo on one sofa, Heavy and Medic on the other. Both Spies were standing up and Sniper was leaning against the wall. Pyro and Scout, who had asked that question, were sitting on the carpet. All were facing the RED Frenchman.

"We need to find out why they keep my team hostage." The RED Spy said.

"How are we ever gonna find out about that?"

"Well, there is but one way to do this, gentlemen…" He started. 

"We need to infiltrate their ranks." She walked behind him and finished his sentence. The corner of his lips pursed up almost imperceptibly. 

"Hold on, pardner. We don't know how dangerous that might be."

The Frenchman lit a cigarette.

"Non, indeed we don't. But if you all agree to help me, your Spy and I can do it. All we need is some changes to our equipments and your support."

The Texan scratched his bald head from under the yellow helmet and silence fell.

"How?" Heavy simply asked. 

"We will need disguises. We can disguise as each other but that won't do. We will need robot disguises." He started.

"Should things go pear-shaped, we need to be able to heal on site." She continued for him, as she joined his side. Sniper smiled behind his glasses and tilted his head slightly. 

"Indeed. We will also need to be able to communicate with each other and with you."

Engie put a hand in his overall's pocket and retrieved a small notepad. He took the pencil that he had behind his ear and started taking some notes.

"But most importantly," Leila interrupted her counterpart again, "We need to all agree to help Spy."

"Why would we help him?" Scout said. "The man has always been a problem. No offense Spy, but he's the worst!" 

"When he's against you, yes. But think about it the right way around, Scout. He is now _with_ us, thus going from being the worst to being an asset," Leila explained, "maybe our best asset." 

Lucien quickly looked down at her and put his cigarette between his lips. She had said that without looking at him but she knew he heard the compliment very clearly.

"How can we be sure that he _is_ with us?" Scout insisted. 

"Oh, that's simple." The BLU Spy crossed her arms and smirked. "If _I_ , your spy, know that I can trust him, then so can you."

"Bah! Easy to say! Do we have any proof that we can trust him?"

"Scout, where is this going?" The Frenchman asked. "What do you want me to do to prove myself to you?"

"I don't know. But it'd be nice to have some proof. I'm not believin' ya." The young man crossed his arms on his chest.

Both Spies looked at each other. The entire BLU team was staring at them. Lucien was at a loss, he didn't know how he could prove that he was being truthful.

"Pardner, the boy's right. If we're to help, we might as well have some proof."

"Fine." Leila cut the silence sharp. "Spy, tell them who I am." 

Lucien's cigarette almost fell off his lips. 

"What?!"

"Scout, I hope that you will understand that if I can confide who I really am to him, that means that he is trustworthy."

"What d'you mean _'who you really are'?_ " The Bostonian asked.

Sniper's jaw had dropped.

"Go on, Spy, tell them." She insisted. 

"Are you sure? I don't want you to feel-"

She looked up at him and his blue eyes. 

" _Fais-le."_ She whispered.

[Do it.]

He took a deep breath. 

"Fine…" Lucien cleared his throat. "Gentlemen, your spy is not exactly who you think she is."

" _She?"_ Medic asked. 

"Oui, she is a woman." 

Jaws dropped. Demo looked at his bottle of scrumpy, his eye wide opened and downed more of its content.

"I am indeed." She reverted to her original voice, that voice that Lucien had fallen for. "And I know I could tell him the truth."

"How could you be so sure?! You've told him things that you didn't tell _us_ , your own team!?" Scout exclaimed. 

"Scout," Medic answered. "I imagine that if he knows who she really then it goes the other way around too. Am I right, Spy?" 

Lucien looked down at Leila. She nodded. 

"And I know there is no better spy on the face of Earth. Now, we need to know who would be up to help us. Gentlemen," She said. "Raise your hand if we can count on you." 

Sniper raised his hand. 

"We don't have anythin' else to do. The Admin's gone, we might as well take on that job…" Engie raised his hand. When he saw the Texan do it, Pyro raised his hand too. 

"I will be your medical support. I can't wait to start working on this challenge!" Medic and Heavy raised their hands. 

"We cannot let a lady in distress! This is not what the founding fathers fought for!" Soldier stood up and raised his hand.

"I cannae leave ya alone now, can I?" Demo raised his bottle. 

Only Scout seemed reluctant. 

"Mate, you could try yer luck with the Spook if she's a sheila…?" 

The Australian winked at his younger colleague. 

"Sniper!" Leila protested but too late, the idea had reached the Bostonian's brain and his eyes lit up. 

"And maybe you'll impress Miss Paulin' when you get to rescue her too…?"

"Yeah!" The young man flipped his opinion as fast as Lucien would an omelette… His hand sprang up and Leila facepalmed. 

"Alrighty then!" Engie concluded and everyone put their hands down. "So you said some new communication tools and new disguises, right?"

Both spies nodded. 

"Heavy, come along, I have ideas for this _in situ healing protocol!"_ The German doctor sprang out of the sofa and the Russian man followed him smiling. The enthusiasm of his friend got so easily to him…

"Spahs, follow me to my garage, I need to chat with y'all when you get a minute."

"Most certainly." Leila said before turning to Lucien. "Shall we?" 

"After you.' The Frenchman elegantly let her go first. 

"Yeah and Spy, uh, when you get a sec', maybe when we can uh… get a drink or somethin', whaddya say?" Scout had hardly talked to her but she already felt fed up. She shook her head, rolling her eyes up to the sky, praying that the All-Mighty himself would help her, and followed the Frenchman. 

_\-- Engie's garage --_

"So, Spahs…" 

Engie took the sketches that his masked colleague had done off the wall and spread them on the table. 

"... I'll work on what you need but with these, I haven't come to much."

"What do you mean?" Lucien asked. 

"Don't get me wrong, those drawings are amazing but they don't tell me what's inside the bots…"

"If I may, there are some conclusions to be drawn." Leila said, taking a step forward to get closer to the drawings. " First, you can see no barrels or no canon whatsoever, meaning that if they carry weapons, they're not embedded in them." 

"Hm…" The Texan put a hand on his chin and frowned.

"Oh but wait…"

"What?"

"Look!" She exclaimed while pointing at the pictures."They are very imperfect as copies!"

"What d'you mean?"

"Look, if their faces are quite similar to us and the general shape of their bodies too, the proportions between one and the other are wrong. Scout is too short and Spy is taller than Sniper. Medic is fatter and your robot is too tall."

"Oooh…" Engie lit up.

"Which means only one thing. They based their models on pictures without having much of a scale for it all! Which then explains why _your_ team has been captured, Spy!"

She spun on her heels and faced her lover. 

"I believe that they took your team as a reference."

Engie's eyes went from her to him.

"A reference?" Lucien repeated.

"Oui, to make their robots perfectly identical to the original, they needed to get a better look at the originals!"

"Mon Dieu…"

She didn't want to say more about what she had thought up. 

"Nevertheless, I understand that my scribbles do not give you information on the exact inside structure of our foes. We could bring you one in the flesh, well, _in the flesh…_?" She rolled her eyes, showing that she did not mean the play on words.

Lucien looked up to Leila who made that suggestion. 

"I suppose we just need our sappers to put them to sleep somehow and we can get one, bring it back to the base and leave you to analyse it?"

"Well…" The Texan scratched his head. "That'd be perfect but I don't know if you can do that. I mean, it's dangerous enough to try and infiltrate them, getting one of those robots out is insane!"

Lucien and Leila exchanged a conniving glance. 

"Do not worry, Labourer. We will get you your fancy toy. Let us know when our equipment is ready and we shall prepare further."

"Alrighty then! I'll keep you posted!"

"Thank you, Engineer." 

Both Spies exited the garage and closed the door after them. 

\-- _Spies' room --_

"It's good to be home." Leila said as the door of their suite closed after them.

Lucien removed his mask but stood between Leila and the rest of the room. She raised her head to look at him. His pupils were wide open and he was smiling. 

"What's wrong? Why are you not letting me go?" She asked and removed her mask. 

He bent his head down slightly to look her in the eyes and held her chin between his naked fingers. 

"You… Your cleverness _interests me._ " He said. 

She raised an eyebrow. 

"What do you mean?"

"What you said to Engineer, your reasoning, the elegance with which you spoke. Such refinement…" His fingers slid on her cheek and he put a foot on the floor, between hers.

"Mmmh, someone is sensitive to…?"

"Your charms? Oui, I am _bewitched…"_

He pulled her chin up just enough to steal a gentle kiss and pushed her so that her back bumped on the front door. She gasped and he drank her soft cry. Her hands went to the collar of his suit jacket to hang on to life. She thanked the Lord the door was holding her back or she would have let herself fall… 

As if he heard her thoughts, he laced an arm around her and pulled her gently to himself to kiss her better. 

When their lips parted, she opened heavy-lidded eyes and smiled. 

"What do you say to lying in bed together?" He asked.

"Of course. Shall I make some tea?"

The Frenchman chuckled and let go of her. 

"What?" She asked.

"You sound very British sometimes…!"

"Non I don't!"

"Oui, you do. But that's besides the point. I love you." He kissed her forehead and she melted in a sweet smile. 

"I'll get the kettle ready while you get a change."

"Fine with me. Come when you want and we'll switch. I'll continue making the tea and you can get your change, _d'accord?"_

[Alright?]

"Oui." 

The Frenchman went to the room and closed the door. Meanwhile Leila got busy with the kettle. She whistled to herself as she filled it with water and put it on the stove. She cracked a match and lit it. She was about to shake the match to extinguish it when-

"Don't put it out! Please…?" Lucien was standing behind her, a cigarette between his lips. She nodded and got the burning match closer to it. The flames started devouring it slowly, softly crackling as the Frenchman puffed on it. He nodded and she put the match off. Something caught her eye on him. He had left the first few buttons of his black satin pyjama shirt open. Her eyebrow ever so slightly twitched but of course, he saw it.

"Merci, mon amour."

[Thank you, my love.]

Her eyes opened wide when the words from the Frenchman hit her head. He smiled. 

"Are you alright, Leila?"

"O-oui, I think I'm fine…"

"What is the matter?"

"Well, you're not going to believe me but… I think it's the first time that someone calls me that…"

The Frenchman's eyebrows jumped. 

"Really?"

She nodded.

"Then I am glad I have the privilege of being the first one."

"I guess you do indeed, _mon coeur."_

[my heart - sweetheart]

He smiled and watched as she left him smoking in front of the stove. He went to the cupboards and took a tray, two mugs, the sugar, and a spoon. When the water boiled, he added the tea bags and removed the kettle from the fire. A smell made him smile. 

"You were quick." He said without turning his back. 

"I wanted to come back fast."

"Merci." 

He answered and when he turned to see her, she was wearing that same bright red satin gown, with large sleeves. The reflections of the light on it made it look pink. He smiled and put the kettle on the tray. 

"Shall we?"

She led the way and he followed her to their room. Once they were both in bed with their mugs in their hands, their backs against the wall, the cats joined them. 

"Oh, it looks like we have some company….?" Leila said. 

"Perle, s'il te plaît, je veux être seul avec elle…"

[Perle, please, I want to be alone with her…]

"Non, Perle, reste, ne l'écoutes pas!"

[No, Perle, stay, don't listen to him!]

He looked at Leila and saw her smile deviously at him, wiggling her eyebrows. The lady cat curled in a ball of fur on her lap and her kittens continued playing on the bed.

"Parfait…!" 

[Perfect…!]

Lucien sarcastically said. 

"So you can also charm animals. Is there any living creature on this Earth who can be insensitive to you?" He asked. 

"Non, not that I know of." She answered simply, as if she wasn't showing off.

She stroked the cat and she purred. 

"Oh by the way," Leila looked at her lover. "Shouldn't we find names for the kittens?"

"We should indeed. Do you have any ideas?"

"I do, oui." 

"Pray tell me."

Leila's eyes went to the baby cats fighting and rolling on the bed. 

"The black one could be _Minuit_?"

[Midnight.]

"Hm, oui."

"That one, the black one with just a white patch on his face, he could be _Étoile._ The shape of his patch vaguely resembles a star."

[Star.]

"Très bien."

"And this one, _Diamant?"_

[Diamond?]

"Ooh nice choice, I like it."

"And you pick the last one." She said. 

"Me? But I have no ideas!"

"Try to think of something, they're your cats afterall!"

"Fine…" 

The Frenchman stared at the last kitten to be named. 

"He is mostly black with the exception of his tail and his paws which are white… So, what about _Chaussette?"_

Leila laughed. Chaussette means "sock" in French. 

"What? It's because he looks like he's wearing white socks!"

"Fair enough, Lucien… You're quite surprising I must say."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Absolutely not."

They put their empty mugs away and he took her in his arms. Perle and her little ones trotted out of the room. 

"Wait…"

She slipped a hand under her bed and retrieved her sketchbook. 

"Oh, you want to draw? Alright, I'll go and get my magazine."

The Frenchman soon came back and laid on the bed. He read his magazine and kept his distance with Leila. He knew she liked her privacy when she drew, and he respected it. His eyes glided on the ink lines smoothly and he almost forgot that she was there at all. The news were what they had become since he wasn't a spy anymore: not his business. And he enjoyed his life as a civilian. He liked the luxury of not caring about political tensions and conflict. 

"Lucien?"

Her voice broke his reading. He turned his head to her.

"Oui?"

"Come closer."

"Are you sure? I don't want to disturb your drawing…"

"You never disturb me."

She tapped the bed next to her and the Frenchman obeyed, putting his magazine aside. She opened her sketchbook on his lap.

"Oh mais qu'est-ce que-?" 

[Oh but what are you-?]

"Hhsh… I do the talking now." She answered. "I bought this sketchbook right before I joined. Look here…" She pointed at the first drawing. 

"Oh, that's Miss Pauling!"

"Oui… That's the day I arrived. And then, that's the team when I first met them."

Lucien opened round eyes as he saw a full double page full of sketches of all the members of the RED team, full bodies in uniform and some close-ups of their faces.

"Leila… That's impressive…"

"Non, wait." She flipped the page.

"Oh that's your Snoop." 

She laughed. 

"Do you call him that too?"

"Only to annoy him, oui." Lucien smirked. "But that's incredible, I can almost hear him!"

"Really?" She asked. 

"Listen closely…"

She bent towards the book. 

_"G'day mate, bloody hell Spook, headshot!"_

She burst out laughing, Lucien's imitation was very poor but the Frenchman was glad he could make her laugh. 

"Mon Dieu, Lucien!"

He took her hand and laced his fingers around hers, clenching slightly. She leant her head on his shoulder and flipped the page. 

"Oh, and that's Scout… I'm guessing you were quite angry at him when you drew all this?"

The poor Bostonian boy was only caricatured, his traits were greatly exaggerated. 

"I was, oui. Also, I don't have much affection for the boy."

"And now that he knows you're a woman, you might even have less…"

"Indeed." She confirmed and flipped the page. 

"Oh wait…" 

That page was entirely dedicated to the Frenchman. He was standing proudly with his blade between his long and thin gloved fingers. And there he was leaping from a balcony, and there he was walking elegantly, one hand in his pocket, the other holding his cigarette. 

"Y-you've… you've drawn me…?"

She flipped the page and there was a large portrait of his face as he was on the Ministry wall. The Frenchman gasped. 

"How did you…?" He muttered. 

"By memory. I never forget a face, especially a good-looking man's."

"I look… I look so much better on this…!"

He took the notebook and looked at it more closely.

"Mon Dieu… I look so young…" 

He sighed.

"He's confident, he's young, he's got so much in front of him." 

His eyes filled with tears. 

"Hey…?" She took his hand in hers and put her other one on his cheek. He lowered his head and shut his eyes to hide the tears. 

"Mon amour? Mon amour, regarde-moi."

[My love? My love, look at me.]

She brushed her thumb on his cheek slowly, just to bring him some warmth. He put the sketchbook down and leant his head to get more of her touch. She clenched her hand on his to tell him that she would support him, even if he wanted to cry. Lucien was smiling despite the tears that he felt were burning his eyes. 

"Lucien, à mes yeux tu es plus beau maintenant que sur ce dessin. Tu as grandi et mûri pour devenir l'homme le plus beau que j'ai jamais eu le plaisir de voir. Tu es un Dieu parmi les hommes, un Dieu comme ceux que les Grecs vénéraient. Tu es d'une élégance sans nom et l'âge que tu regrettes n'est rien pour moi qu'une étape qui t'as mené dans mes bras."

[Lucien, in my eyes you are more handsome now than on that drawing. You have grown up and matured to become the most beautiful man my eyes ever laid on. You are a God amongst men, a God like one of those the Greeks used to worship. Your elegance is infinite and the age that you regret is nothing to me but a step in your life that led you in my arms.]

He opened his eyes and saw her big round black ones riveted on him, like a cat. He pushed the notebook away and lacing his arms around her, he made her sink in the bed. She let him do and when they were both lying comfortably, she propped herself on her elbows and put her lips on his. Leila felt Lucien's fingers run in her hair and along her cheek. She couldn't see it as her eyes were closed, but the tears he was holding back beaded and rolled out of the corners of his eyes. The man had needed exactly that. Someone he could be himself with, someone he trusted to show what he felt without fearing that they might betray him, someone whom he could share his sorrows with and who would support him. And he found her.

His Queen.

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading!

See you!


	31. Chapter 31

Lucien and Leila broke the kiss. 

"Oh, mon coeur…" 

[Oh, my sweetheart…]

Leila said. She didn't want to say that she was now seeing his tears. She just wiped them with her thumbs. 

"Pardon." He replied while evading her gaze.

"Non, don't apologise." She lifted herself to kiss his forehead. "And come here."

She made him turn and was now spooning him. Leila adjusted the cover on them both and tightened her embrace around his sides. She even wrapped a leg on top of his, lacing it back between the Frenchman's. 

She kissed his back and his neck from behind softly while whispering to his ear. 

_"Dis-moi."_

_[Tell me.]_

"This life I've led… I'm sure that if I had told her about me being a spy… I wouldn't have gone back to the Ministry, I wouldn't have tried to fill that gap inside me by piling corpses, I wouldn't-"

"Ssshhhh…" She whispered. "Tu sais ce qu'on dit : avec des 'si', on mettrait Paris en bouteille."

[You know what they say: with 'ifs', we can put Paris in a bottle.]

"Hm…"

"Lucien, what has been done is now done. No one can roll back time and fix their mistakes. And you know, thinking about it, it's better that way. Imagine if you rolled back time and _'fixed'_ this problem, then you might have even bigger ones? Besides, if you examine what _is_ rather than what _could have been_ , you might start to realise that things aren't that bad."

The Frenchman sniffed. 

"What is his name?" She asked. 

"Who?"

"Your son."

"Jérémy."

"Think about him now. Is he a bad man? Is he someone you're not proud of?"

"Hm… Non, he is a good young man, kind-hearted like his mother. He's still young and impatient, but at heart, he is a good man."

"Are you proud of him?"

"What pride can I take? I did nothing for him."

"Yes, you did."

"What? What did I ever do to him apart from letting him slip away from me?"

She put her hand on his chest and scratched lightly, just to warm up his heart.

"You crossed the map and came to us, your enemies, for help. For your son, you risked your life, you were ready to surrender to us, you were ready to cross enemy lines and comply with our rules. Mon amour, you did what you had to do as his father that day." 

He laced his fingers between hers.

"Really? But what about the rest of the time? When he was a child?"

She kissed his back again and put her cheek against it. 

"Lucien, you said it yourself. He's grown to be a good man. It's all that counts and you can't come back to that time. Believe me mon amour, if there was anything I could do to rewind time for you, I would."

She paused. 

"Even if it meant that I would not meet you…"

The Frenchman's eyebrows jumped. He turned on the bed to face her. 

"What?" He asked.

"Lucien, don't get me wrong. I love you. I love you like I have never loved a man before. I would never wake up in the arms of the man I'd sleep with, non. I would never let any man call me _his._ "

"Oh…"

"I am not a woman that you can toy with, marry and leave in the kitchen."

"I never said you were."

"I know, I don't mean that to _you_ personally. I mean that I am simply not one of those women who expect to be spoilt like a little girl and live off their companion. Non."

He put a hand on her cheek and smiled. 

"I know, _ma belle,_ and that's why I love you. You're very different and independent from me, and that makes you as strong as you are beautiful."

She smiled and took his hand off her cheek. She pulled it down to her lips and kissed it.

"Merci, but let's go back to you. I am saying all this to come to the fact that I think you've been through enough in your life as it is and all I want is for you to find the happiness you've deprived yourself of."

"Mon Dieu, Leila… What you're telling me, it's so…"

She smiled and stroked his cheek slowly.

"You deserve nothing less. You've given your life and all your being to your country. Time for life to give you back. _I_ will give you back."

"I… I don't know what to say…" He replied, his eyes wide open and darting from her left one to her right one.

"You don't need to say anything." She answered to comfort him. 

"Non, I do. Leila… Leila it's the first time in… pfff, years!, that I feel like this."

"How?"

"At ease with someone. I feel so comfortable I don't even sleep with a knife!"

"You used to sleep with it?" She asked. 

"Under my pillow, oui. I only dropped that habit when I first slept with you."

"As you should. I won't let anything happen to you, Lucien."

He put his hand on her side and let it brush her night dress slowly. 

"Likewise."

His hand slid behind her back and pulled her closer to him. He kissed her lips and looked at her, smiling. 

"Merci, mon amour." He simply said, because no other words came, none of them could express how much he meant his gratitude to her. She clinged to him as if he was life itself, her hands on his shirt collar. 

He let her snuggle up against him before breaking the silence. 

"You like my collars a bit too much, non?"

"What?"

"You always hold on to them." He explained. 

"I-It's because… I'm scared." She answered shyly, diverting her gaze from his. 

"Scared? _Mais de quoi, mon amour?"_

_[But of what, my love?]_

"Of… Of what happens if I yield to you too much… So I hold on to whatever I can." She whispered in his ear, too afraid to say the words out loud. 

She felt his hand brush up on her side, her skin burning to a crisp below his touch. She had shivers and her breath didn't go lost on the Frenchman's ears who smiled confidently. As she closed her eyes, she could only see between the closing curtain of her eyelashes the sheen of his teeth. And it made her melt further. His hand travelled up to her shoulder, her neck, which he held for an instant, like a priceless crystal Champagne glass. He was so delicate in his movements, only caressing the surface of her skin. He could feel her shivers, her goosebumps. He could feel the blood pump through her arteries in her neck. She was sighing silently, bending her head back, her legs sliding against his under the bed cover. 

He controlled her, with a gentle pressure of a finger, or the flick of a knuckle, she was sent on a sweet cloud in a calm, starry night. Rolling and rolling under his fingers. 

Lucien smirked but nonetheless continued to observe her keenly as he felt the barriers inside her melt away. She was yielding slowly, but surely. His other hand went on her hip as he guided her to lay on her back. She let him do whatever he wanted. At that point she didn't have any control over her limbs. She was simply a soft puppet under the strings of his fingers. 

The Frenchman now towered her, straddling her without actually resting on her He was on all four, his forehead against hers, prostrating himself as if he was praying. And to be honest, it was a thanking prayer. One to thank the All-Mighty, or whoever was at the origin of all this, for the wingless angel they had sent the poor, bitter Frenchman. Oh how embittered and arrogant he was before he met her. Now, he only took his pride in his ability to make her complete, providing what she needed and what her heart desired. 

Lucien let his fingers run along her arms and forearms before lacing them around hers and clenching. She clenched back, not as strongly as him, afterall she was possessed by him now and couldn't resist. His nose touched hers and her breath accelerated slightly. He heard it and when she didn't expect it, he dropped his lips on hers.

Oh how she had wanted to moan… But he had emptied her of all and any force or energy that her slim body could contain. He took her upper lip between his and pressed gently. She screwed her eyes shut tightly. The whole thing was so very soft…! She would never have expected Lucien to be that kind of a man, the delicate one, the poet. However, that was far from saying that she hated it. 

"Lucien…" She barely whispered when he withdrew. 

He put his lips on her cheek and travelled down below her ear. Soon he was nuzzling in her neck and heard her breathe deeper. A quick glance showed her ribcage inflate and deflate more. He smirked and closed his eyes. He stole a kiss, in her neck and she gasped slightly, bending her head to reveal more of it.

She was asking for more and he gladly obliged. He lavished kisses on her, gently nibbling like he would to taste a priceless delicacy. She clenched her fingers more. Ah, she was getting her strength back? Or maybe it was too strong to hold back?

In any case, he took it as a green light to proceed. He went down, following the subtle curve of her trapezius muscle until his lips bumped on her dress's strap. She felt it and gasped. 

For a moment she opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him. The gaze they exchanged was a wordless conversation in itself. He asked if he could proceed further and she blinked slowly. He felt one of her fingers under his chin, pulling him closer to her. He let her lead and his lips landed on hers. 

He felt it, her fingers ruffling his hair as she kissed him passionately. He was the one to moan, it was a deep one, from the bottom of his throat, like a purr that made her tremble. She pushed him to roll and now, _she_ was the one to straddle him. She sat on his pelvis and clenched her grip on his hair. Oh his hair… The cinder silk locks flowed between her fingers in the most exquisite fashion. 

Their lips parted for a split second. That's all that Lucien needed to whisper. 

" _Je suis fou de toi."_

_[I am crazy about you.]_

She slid her hands to the buttons of his shirt and arched her eyebrows as if to ask if she could. He nodded with a smile and heard the buttons yield softly, one after the other. 

_Pop, pop, pop, pop…_

When she was done, she delicately pushed his shirt open and laid down on him, her head below his chin and her fingers lost in his salt and pepper chest hair.

"Oh…" 

Once again, she proved to be softer than he had imagined. He wrapped his arms around her and his hands scratched her back lightly. She moaned. 

"You just wanted to open my shirt to lie on me?" He asked. 

"Oui, I love the contact with your skin… You're so warm and soft…"

He chuckled. 

"I might be warm, but soft…?"

She kissed his neck and nodded. 

"You're softer than I thought. You're extremely delicate." She answered. 

His other hand went to her hair. He lost his fingers in her black curls. 

"Is it a bad thing?" He asked. 

"On the contrary. I think I… I think I love it more than I imagined I could." She replied. "But it does come as a surprise. I would never have thought you would be that patient." 

"Oh I've never been so. It's just with you. I don't know why but it feels wrong to not proceed slowly with you. It's almost as if I would feel bad to try and go faster."

"Oh, I'm sorry to induce that…" She said.

"Don't be." His hands went to her head and he lifted her off just enough so that her ear went next to his lips. He whispered. "I never thought I could enjoy discovering a woman's body like this."

Her ears went hot and she gasped. 

"Leila, I love you so much I cannot treat you like any woman I've met before…" 

She turned her head to look at him. He was smiling and the faint light of the night lamp wasn't enough to betray his blush. She bit her lip and moved away from him. 

"Oh?" 

She slipped out of the bed and switched all the lights off. She also closed the bedroom door before coming back next to the bed. He couldn't see a thing. He raised an eyebrow, not understanding what was happening. 

He felt her climb on the bed again, the mattress slightly sinking below her. 

"It's quite a warm night." She said. 

The Frenchman was still at a loss until the smell of her perfume grew stronger and stronger. She put his lips on his and pulled strongly.

"Hm-!"

She straddled him again and was asking for more. Her fingers went to cup his face. As a reflex, he put his hands on her sides and didn't fail to find them in the dark. She sat back on his pelvis. The Frenchman's heart accelerated. 

" _Lucien, je t'aime tellement…"_

_[Lucien, I love you so much…]_

The man's eyebrows were high up and he felt _it._ Something inside him clicked. Was it the passion in the kiss or the touch of her slim fingers on his neck and chest? He didn't know. But in a flash he pushed her to lie on the bed and now _he_ was towering her. 

" _Tu as raison, il fait chaud ce soir…"_

_[You're right, the night is hot…]_

She giggled deviously and her hands went to his shoulders.

"Allow me to make you more comfortable then."

She pushed the shirt beyond his shoulders and it fell to his elbows. Their eyes were getting used to the dark so they could see each other's silhouette. He removed the shirt and she heard it land on the nearby chair. 

"Is Madame feeling the temperature too? Shall I relieve her?" 

"Hm, I guess she does, although she did say that it was only _quite_ hot. The temperature is still very bearable."

"Oh, I see. Pray let me arrange that…"

He dived to her lips again while her hands wrapped around his neck. He kissed her slowly before-

"Hhmmm!" She moaned and couldn't control it. 

He had added _the French to the kiss._

She was absolutely delighted. There was nothing she wanted more than more of the Frenchman. His hand behind her neck, he pulled her face to bend back slightly, inviting her to relax and let herself go. 

He kissed her like an artist would paint the ceiling of the Château de Versailles. Everything was done masterfully, the colors that he showed her were in harmony. She saw the dark blue of the night, split by the deep red of passion. And the colours didn't mix, non, it was all carefully arranged by the Frenchman.

She tasted the years of nicotine in him, the years of anxiety burnt through his menthol cigarettes. Now she could admit it, she loved that smell not like a smoker, but because she knew that if she could smell it, the only man on Earth who can call her his was near. But nicotine wasn't the only thing that she got from the slow twist of his tongue. The years of _solitude_ , of self-discipline, of hardships that he had to face alone. The years of isolation, in a dark room that the colours had left in Paris, like a photograph travelling back in time. In a word, she felt his sorrow that now was slowly converting to something new, something he had given up the hope of finding but maybe, _maybe,_ this time it would work. He was trying his best for it. One last time in his life, because he was tired, exhausted and emptied. 

But Leila did not let him kiss her passively. Non, she answered back. That sorrow that you have been through, is over. She was blowing back the colourful breath of life into him. She knew it wouldn't be easy to make him see it again, life in colours, but she would manage it through patience, commitment and love of course. She was decided to make him something that he didn't know how to describe. Was it that thing that people called _happiness_ or _joy?_ Whatever it was, she was set. If there was one man who was worth doing that for, it was Lucien. It's thanks to him that her country wasn't speaking German as a first language. 

However, above that, living with him taught her that deep down - _very deep down some might argue -_ he is a simple man. In that respect, he was quite similar to the team's Sharpshooter and Leila understood why Lucien went to him before he took her out for dinner. He didn't really need advice on his clothes. He needed a friend to give him the strength and courage to do it again, maybe for the last time, to go and maybe put a small part of his heart naked, revealing the scars and by doing so, seeing them again, letting them hurt again just for the sake of trying to be with Leila. He had put himself in a vulnerable position _for her_. He had made the mad bet that it might be worth it. 

And boy how right it turned out to be… 

He moved from her lips to her neck. She clenched her fingers behind his head and pulled him more to herself, feeling her smooth legs slide against his. Again, he followed her neck down and stopped at her dress's strap.

"May I?" He prudely whispered. 

"I love that you ask…" She traced her index on his cheek. "Please do." 

He took the strap between his teeth and pulled it down, revealing her shoulder. He did the same on the other side with his hand. He nonetheless made sure that her chest was still covered. 

"You don't remove more?" She asked. 

"One day will come when I will. But it is too soon. _Je t'aime trop pour brûler les étapes comme ça. Non, je veux te découvrir comme on déguste un bon vin, en prenant mon temps."_

_[I love you too much to skip the steps and go too fast. No, I want to discover you like I would taste a good wine, by taking my time.]_

She gasped. Again, the amount of respect the Frenchman showed her was moving her. He kissed her naked shoulder and lied next to her. 

" _Viens ici…"_

_[Come here.]_

She took his head and guided him to lie on her chest. 

"T-tu es sûre?"

[A-are you sure?]

"Oui." She simply answered. 

He laid his head on her chest.

"Je te fais mal?"

[Am I hurting you?]

"Non. C'est parfait, laisse-toi aller."

[Non. It's perfect, let yourself go.]

He wrapped his arms around her. 

"Mmmh… Je t'aime Leila."

[Mmmh… I love you Leila.]

"Moi aussi mon coeur."

[Me too, sweetheart.]

She let her fingers run in his hair and massaged his head slowly. 

"I don't know what you find in me, but I'm glad you do." He said, his eyes closed.

"I find everything I've ever looked for. Lucien, look at me for a second."

He raised his head and opened his eyes. They stared at each other. 

"I… I see myself but I see all of me. I see the young girl, I see the one that Marc found in a restaurant, I see my first short haircut, I see your picture in the Ministry and…"

"And?" He opened big round eyes. 

"And maybe I fell for you back then already…"

"Really?"

She bit her lip.

"Lucien. You. Are. Gorgeous."

He smiled and stole a kiss from her lips. 

"Not nearly as much as you are." 

She smiled and he put his head back on the best pillow he could think of. She made sure the bed covers were on him. Afterall, he was bare-chested and she didn't want him to catch a cold.

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading and don't hesitate to leave a comment!

See you!


	32. Chapter 32

When he opened his eyes, Lucien found the bed empty. 

_Oh…?_

He rubbed his eyes and sat up. 

_Hm…_

The sweet smell of coffee rose in the air and tickled his nostrils, he smiled. The Frenchman pushed himself out of the bed, took his pyjama shirt off the chair. He slipped it on, as well as his dressing gown, and went to the bathroom.

Her ears pricked up and she smiled. She looked at the pan on the stove and nodded to herself. She poured the omelette mixture in the pan and tilted it left and right, for the eggs to spread evenly. Leila put the pan back on the stove and got busy with the coffee. 

"Huh!" 

She got startled and gasped. 

"Pardon, mon amour…" 

[My apologies, my love…]

A low voice whispered in her ear. She smiled. 

"Bonjour à toi aussi."

[Hello to you too.]

Leila answered and felt the Frenchman's hands on her sides, from behind. She went to put the coffee mugs on the table and returned in front of the stove to check on the omelette. Lucien was following her like her shadow and when she finally stopped in front of the stove, he rested his chin on her shoulder. 

"Omelette?" He asked. 

"Oui, just to say thanks for all the ones you made me."

"You don't need to thank me for anything. You're the one who opened your door to me."

"It's true." She replied. "Oh…?"

She felt his hands on her shoulders, then along her arms, forearms and finally his fingers laced between hers.

"Can you hear it…?" He asked. 

"What?"

_"The violins…"_ He whispered in her ear and raising her hand, he pulled her to spin. As she did so, his other hand ended flat on her back and she was against his bare chest. His shirt and dressing gown were open. She raised her head to him and opened big round eyes. He was inviting her to dance again, her in her red dressing gown, him, in his dark blue one. 

"W-wait…" She said and freed herself from him.

His heart sank to the ground. Well, if she wasn't in the mood, then so be it…

She turned off the stove and came back to his arms. She saw the distraught look on his face and cupped his face. 

"Why the sad look?"

"Because you were gone."

"It was only to turn the stove off!" She replied, brushing his cheeks with her thumbs. "Now, where were we…?" 

She slid her hand on his chest up to his shoulder and put her other one in his. Her smirk made his pupils dilate and the corner of his lips purse up in a smile. 

"Oh yes, I remember…" She said and pulled his head down for her lips to be next to his ear. "... I can hear the violins." 

His hand went to her back and he pulled her closer to him. They were chest against chest and he looked down at her, smirking. 

"Ready?" He asked.

"When you are." She replied.

"Un, deux, trois, quatre…" 

[One, two, three, four…]

He led the dance and she closely followed, their breaths in sync, never looking down to avoid each other's feet. Pfff, they were too good dancers to need that! Non. His leg went naturally between hers to take a step forward and the next second, her leg was between his. They naturally flowed, their red and blue gowns flying after them, twirling gracefully in the air. 

Their eyes were locked on the other's. With every step, every turn, they felt the bond between them strengthen, like a thin stem becomes the sturdy trunk of a tree. He made her turn and spin, she responded beautifully. He made her bend and pulled her close to him, jealously keeping her all to himself, looking into her eyes and seeing more than just himself. Making sure to feel all her body against his, he breathed in her perfume and for a split second, he saw constellations on his shut eyelids. 

Him, the cold, the arrogant Frenchman… Here he was, feeling something burning inside him. His chest was set ablaze, he clenched his hand in hers and he bent his head just enough that their foreheads touched. Oh how he had dreamt of such a good partner in dance… _and in life._ She was everything he could have hoped for, and even more than that. She made him feel safe and loved, not like he ever had been before. Non, before, he was the matter of a night, a fantasy, an escape from reality, an illusion for a short night.

But since he had met Leila, he felt differently. He didn't want it to be just a night. He didn't want to spend time just to release tension with her. Ugh, the thought of it made him gag in his head. Non, he wanted to keep her in his arms, smell her perfume, hear her voice and see her smile. He was… He was _in love._

And he could hear it. His heart was beating the syncopated rhythm of the tango, his breath neatly flowing with it. Their moves were impeccable, their gestures, precise, disciplined. _That_ was what tango was about: carefully measured moves in the closest proximity with your partner, the cold-bloodedness in the gestures perfectly balanced by the torridity of the proximity of the bodies. Legs going in between each other's, walking closer to the other, conquering their personal space and planting one's flag by stomping one's heels to the ground, between the other's legs. The contact of each other's flaming body as the music unraveled and intoxicated, as the breaths were exchanged, his air becoming hers and vice versa. 

He made her bend back one last time and slowly pulled her back up. Both were catching their breaths. He hugged her and buried his head in her neck, trying to get his heart and breath to calm down. He felt her chest inflate and deflate against his and couldn't resist putting his lips on her shoulder. He left a few kisses, between two breaths. 

"Leila?" He whispered finally. 

"Oui?" She answered whispering too, although she wasn't entirely sure why. 

"Je t'aime."

[I love you.]

"Moi aussi."

[Me too.]

"Je t'aime." He repeated. "Je t'aime, je t'aime, je t'aime…" 

As he repeated himself, she felt his arms clench around her. He quickly bent down on his knees, his arms sliding to underneath her backside and grasping powerfully, he pulled her up, her feet taking off the ground. 

"Je t'aime!" He exclaimed.

[I love you!]

She gasped and like a reflex, she wrapped her legs around his sides and her arms around his neck. He was now carrying her in his arms, hugging her tightly. Her embrace was equally strong, not only to avoid falling but also because that was how much she loved him. Leila buried her head on the side of his neck. 

"Can you carry me?"

She looked at him.

"You're as light as a feather, _mon ange_."

[My angel]

He put his nose against hers and closed his eyes. Her hands slid to his cheeks, she bent his head slightly and put her lips on his. He loved the feeling of carrying his reason to live in his arms. She was all he needed now, the rest mattered very little. 

On her side of things, she absolutely adored the feeling of having someone she could open up to, someone to hold in her arms, someone who held _her_ close, warm and safe. When they broke the kiss, she brushed her hands on his cheeks. 

"Pardon my stinging, I must shave."

"Must you?" She said, raising a playful eyebrow and tilting her head.

"Unless you prefer it that way." He replied.

"I love you anyway you are mon amour…"

"But?" He anticipated. 

"But I love your stubble." She answered. 

"Ah, in that case, I won't shave it away. I must admit I enjoy seeing those wide pupils of yours." 

"I love them on you too, Lucien." She said before stealing another kiss. 

A few moments later, they were having breakfast. Coffee, a few toasts and the omelette. Lucien was catching up with the news in his magazine. 

"Oh?" 

He raised his eyes when he felt her move. She sat on his lap and was spreading butter on a toast. He smiled and his eyes landed back on the paper, pushing it away from her.

"Lucien?"

He raised his eyes again. She was holding the toast for him. He smiled and nodded. She put the toast closer to his mouth and he took a bite. 

" _Merfi!"_

_[Fank you!]_

He said, his mouth full. She giggled and took a bit off it herself. He closed his arm around her waist and rested his hand on her thigh, stroking it slowly. He didn't see as he was reading but she had the widest smile and she felt the warmth of his attention diffuse in her body. 

She spent her breakfast feeding him, and he couldn't be further from complaining. He felt like a king.

"So, what is _my_ omelette worth?" She asked. 

"Not as good as mine…!" He winked at her. 

"Hey! It's at least as good, if not better!"

"Better?! Ha! You wish, Mademoiselle!" 

_"Madame."_ She corrected.

He raised an eyebrow. 

"Are you married?" He asked. 

"Non. But my heart is very much taken."

The Frenchman smirked. 

"Oh, who's the lucky one?" He asked. "Do I know him?"

She smiled. 

"I think you might know him, yes."

"Ah! Who might it be?"

She sat up straight and cupped his face.

"He… He has enchanting eyes, the most beautiful I've ever seen. When he looks at me, I-I can hardly think, I feel his eyes pierce through my skull like ice bullets, and he can read me, as if I as naked."

The Frenchman's jaw dropped. 

"Do you really think what you've just said?"

"O-oui…" She looked away from him, out of shame. She had let too much escape, her mouth spoke faster than her thoughts. 

Lucien tilted his head on the side and smiled compassionately. He put his fingers under her chin and pulled it up such that she faced him again.

" _Embrasse-moi."_ He simply whispered.

[ _Kiss me.]_

And her breath went smoothly after he put his lips on hers. He held her close and felt her shoulders sink as his lips pressed harder.

He broke the kiss and saw that her eyes were still closed, her lips pursed in a smile and her eyebrows arched up. He smiled and brushed her cheek. Leila's eyes slowly opened and she blinked a couple of times as she landed back in reality. She tilted her head to feel more of his touch.

"I love you." She said in a sigh. 

"Moi aussi."

[Me too.]

She took a deep breath and resumed her breakfast.

"Could you pass me my coffee, _s'il te plaît?"_ He asked.

[Please?]

"Avec plaisir, mon amour."

[With pleasure, my love.]

She handed him his mug and he put away the magazine. He held it in one hand while still stroking her with the other. His eyes were riveted on her and his gaze went from her black curls down along her ear, her jaw and her neck. She was reading the magazine now and wasn't paying much attention to him. His eyes went down to her chest. He watched it inflate and deflate slowly. She didn't have much shapes, or disguising like a man would have simply been impossible. For some men, it would be a shame. Not for Lucien. He had learnt that one's appearance is but a bonus although, so far in his life, he wasn't paying much attention to anything else but that. 

How stupid he had been… But now he knew. She had wordlessly taught him that. Even if she was very pretty, appearance isn't everything. It might be enough to carry you through a couple of nights, but never before had he experienced the attraction that he now felt for her. It was more than just his body calling to be closer to her. Non, it was much more. It was so much that he couldn't describe it. His entire being was magnetised to her, body and soul. 

Lucien finished his coffee and extending his arm, he put his mug back on the table. He then wrapped his arms around her. 

"Someone's cuddly…?" She said and he smiled. 

Leila put her mug away and turned to face her lover, straddling his lap. His hands slid under her dressing gown and pulled her closer to himself. She hugged his head and kissed him in his hair. 

"Why am I finding you only now, so late in my life?" He asked, raising his head to see her.

"Because it's the right time only now." She answered.

"And how comes whatever I say, you have a sound and reasonable answer?"

She bent her her down and kissed his forehead. He melted and closed his eyes. 

"That's just because us women know…"

"Oh, is it a lady's thing now…?"

"Hm-mh." She nodded confidently and smirked. 

"You are remarkable." 

"Indeed, I am, Monsieur." 

"Leila?"

"Oui?"

"Je pourrais te garder sur mes genoux et te regarder toute la journée."

[I could keep you here on my lap and watch you all day long.]

She diverted her gaze from him and lowered her head. 

"J'ai dit quelque chose qu'il ne fallait pas?"

[Did I say something that I shouldn't have?] 

Leila raised her head and shook it. He could see the tears glistening in her eyes. Without saying a word, he opened his arms as a way to invite her and she hugged him tightly, resting her head on his shoulder, below his head. He softly chuckled and hugged her, brushing his hands on her. 

"What's wrong…?" He left a kiss on her head. 

"Nothing."

"Leila…?"

"Non." 

"As you wish." He replied and silence fell for a while before he added. "I still love you so much that I can't think about anything else." 

She smiled but of course he couldn't see it and continued his speech. 

"The way that you occupy my thoughts… It's the most exquisite way to lose my mind. And who needs me to think…? I'm not a secret agent anymore, I am absolutely nothing!"

"Oh, on the contrary." She answered. "You're everything."

"You flatter me, Princesse."

"Non, I love you." 

They stayed like that, her on his lap, feeling each other's presence, each other's warmth, for long minutes, but didn't feel any time had passed. Afterall, they had given they life, or their young days away. They had sacrificed everything, family, friends, private life, but now finally _, finally,_ life had made them a gift: each other. 

There was a knock at the door, it startled her. 

"Let me go and see who it is." Lucien said. 

Leila moved away from his lap and he went straight to retrieve their masks. He threw hers at her and put his on. He quickly tied a knot on his dressing gown to close it and opened the door. 

"Oh, Bushman, good day to you."

"Oh, uh, I can come back later…" The Australian diverted his gaze from the Frenchman's naked chest that still showed between the panes of his closed dressing gown.

"Non, please, come in, it's alright." 

The Australian awkwardly stepped in and the Frenchman closed the door after him. 

"Bonjour, Snoop." 

Leila came and hugged her friend. He blushed and returned the embrace. She dragged him to the sofa and sat next to him. Lucien took a seat on the armchair and Perle jumped on his lap. She curled into a ball of fur.

"You sure I'm not interruptin' anything?"

Lucien lit up a cigarette. 

"Nothing that we can't do later." 

The Australian's irises shrank. He hated it when the Frenchman was leaving things so vague that he could only imagine the worst...

"Mon amour, don't make him blush that much…!" She added and saw her friend cover his face to hide his blush. "But I guess you came here for a reason?"

"Oh? Uh, yeah, actually I was wonderin' if you were alright…"

The Frenchman's cat purred under her master's fingers. The kittens jumped on Leila's lap and invaded her. 

"I think we get along nicely." The lady said.

"Oui, I think we don't hate each other." Lucien confirmed. "What about you?"

"I'm alroight. Same old life, y'know. Also, uh, Engie finished your stuff, he sent me to let you both know. We should prepare for whatever you wanna do."

"Oh, right…" Leila said. "We can think about the next step."

"Non." Lucien cut her. 

"Why?" She asked.

Lawrence looked at one and the other like a tennis match. 

" _Madame_ , I have things to show you before we move into planning anything. And I hope you will accept to reciprocate."

Again, the Australian raised a curious eyebrow. Whetever the Frenchman had in mind, he seemed to insist that it should be step zero in the course of action to free his teammates.

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading!

See you around for the next one!

  
  
  
  
  
  



	33. Chapter 33

Leila pushed the door and entered. Her lover had left a note on the table. 

_"Mon amour,_

_Rends-toi dans la salle d'entraînement dès que tu peux._

_Amoureusement,_

_Ton cher et tendre."_

_[My love,_

_Go to the training room as soon as you can._

_Lovingly,_

_Your dearest.]_

After reading that, she changed for a suit, took her blade and revolver and followed the instructions left by her lover. Hence, she found herself entering the training room underground. It was pitch dark inside but her natural - or professional - instincts told her not to flip the switch. She blinked a couple of times for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. 

Her ears pricked up. She heard something from behind her and her hand automatically went to her revolver. She readied it but the Frenchman disarmed her and blocked with an armlock in a flash. 

"Gn-! Lu-Lucien?!"

"Your reflexes are excellent but you should have gone for your blade, or bare hands."

He released her and flipped the switch. 

"Although I must give you credit for your reflexes. And I believe you knew I was behind you, non?"

"Yes, I did…" She answered, easing the pain on her arm away. "But I'm much better with a revolver than I am with a blade or my hands."

"Precisely. That's why we're here."

"Oh?" 

She turned to face him. 

"I will teach you to use your blade as well as me. And I hope I can learn how to use a gun as well as you."

He extended his hand. 

"What do you say, _Princesse?"_

She stared at the hand for a while and thoughts raced in her head. 

"Why?" She finally asked. 

"Take it as a training. Only this time, instead of Marc teaching you, it's me."

"Still, it doesn't answer my question."

He took the step that separated them and looked above her shoulder to make sure that the door was closed. Lucien took Leila's hand in his.

"Mon amour, this battle, I can't afford to lose it. You know what's at stake. It's too important, I…"

He lowered his head. 

"And to have you at my side is an incredible gift. I'm confident we'll go through this and get Jérémy back but…"

Leila tilted her head. 

"But…?" She asked. 

"But what one is lacking, the other is mastering beautifully. You're outstanding with guns and I'm much better with close quarters combat. If we teach each other these things, we'll make an undefeatable duet."

"Hm, alright. I'll try and teach you what I know with revolvers."

"Really? You'd accept?"

"Of course! I can't wait to teach the best spy in the world!" 

"And I can't wait to teach the best student." He said with a smile. "Right, try to hit me."

"Where?" She asked.

"Wherever you want." 

Her eyes slid down his face to his torso, his stomach, his abdomen and… She raised a devious eyebrow. 

"If you could avoid _that area_ , I would be most grateful." He simply said. "At least during the training sessions."

"And outside?"

"Well, let's say I remain open to negotiations." He smirked maliciously. 

"Noted… Alright, let's go!" 

She feigned a punch with her right arm and knowing that he would block her, she stopped her punch and grabbed his arm. She thought it would be enough distraction to hit him with her left fist but the Frenchman saw it coming and dodged it with ease. She opened big round eyes. 

"Marc taught you well. But what _he_ knows, we've developed together."

"That's unfair! You know all my techniques then!"

"Indeed, but you have yet to learn mine. Try again!"

She tried a direct hit, it failed. She tried to make him lose his balance but failed again. She then used her feet rather than her fists and that was just as unsuccessful. He either parried or dodged all the blows. 

"Good, good. Now try to avoid or block me." 

His right foot slid elegantly on the floor and his punch flew at her fast. She avoided it but because of her reflexes, she took her gun out and pointed it at him. 

"Ah non! That won't do! Give me your precious revolver."

"I _really_ can't keep it?" She begged. 

"I'm afraid not. You're here to use your body, not your gun."

She raised a devious eyebrow again.

_Well I'll patiently wait for the time when you'll use your body and your gun then…_

Judging by the pink on his cheek and the way he cleared his throat, she knew Lucien had read her thoughts from the way she looked at him.

"Try again now." 

He leapt at her and she dodged it. He tried punching, direct hits, kicks, he even just tried to grab her. All his attempts failed too. 

"Well, it seems I have underestimated you after all… Although I suppose it makes sense given your excellent reflexes."

She bowed elegantly. 

"Indeed. I might be bad at combat, but I'm quite good at dodging."

"Fine, let us change the exercise then…"

The Frenchman looked around him at the props here and there. Weights, a boxing ring, punching balls, and oh-...

He took a small hoop. Leila raised a curious eyebrow. The Frenchman threw it on the floor between him and her. 

"Put one foot in this hoop."

She obeyed. 

"Now, your hands behind your back."

"Alright…"

"Now try to dodge my blows again. Your foot must never exit this hoop."

She nodded and the Frenchman went at it again. She dodged the blows although it proved much harder this time. 

"Other foot in the hoop now." 

She shifted her weight and obeyed. And again, Lucien didn't spare her. But his counterpart showed the extent of her training and how hard she had worked. Marc hadn't lied, she was outstanding and if at first he was holding himself back, Lucien was now fully trying to get to her but to no avail. Was it her excellent reflexes or her stare on him that made him weak? Either way, he didn't manage to even touch her. 

"Remarkable!" He exclaimed. And as soon as he said that, her fist flew to him and it landed. 

"Wow! Your punch is also stronger than I thought."

She shook her fist to shake the pain away.

"Oh, did that hurt a lot?" He asked. 

She hissed in pain and nodded. 

"I'm afraid so… I'm not used to using my fists. If I need to do close quarters combat, I'd use my feet, where I can feel the pain much less."

"Oh, then I'll help you work on that. Follow me here."

She did as she was told. 

"See this punching bag?"

"Oui."

"Imagine it's your previous boyfriend who left you in tears and beat him up."

Leila smiled. 

"Why do you smile? This is supposed to be a situation where you should be angry!"

"I smile because - uh, nevermind." 

She readied herself in front of the punching bag and starting throwing her fists at it. 

"Your technique is not precise enough. When you throw your punch, your entire body should help the movement, it's not just the wrist that pushes your hand forward. Let me explain this better…" 

The Frenchman went around her, adjusting her arms, her shoulders, her pelvis and even her feet and his words described the movement and what each part of her body should do in great detail. He showed her what to avoid and why too. 

"Do you understand?"

"Oui."

"Now, do it again. Punch it."

She did as she was told. 

"Much better!"

"It still hurts though…" She said, defeated. 

"Hey, look up here." He stood between her and the punching bag, and held her chin between his fingers. "No matter how hard you will train, you will always feel a bit of pain. Professional fighters usually try to damage their nerves enough to not feel anything anymore. But I won't let you do that."

"Oh."

"One, because you're not a professional fighter, you don't fight for sports, you fight because you have to in order to survive. And second, if you break the nerves there…" He took her hand in his and pulled it up to his lips. "... How would you feel this?" 

Lucien kissed his lover's hand and she smiled. 

"Indeed, I wouldn't. And I don't want that to happen either."

"Good. Now, go back to the training, _mon amour,_ punch it again, show me!"

"Alright!"

She threw her punches again, left and right, while Lucien observed her keenly. She didn't see it, but on his lips was the proud smile of a teacher who could see his student making progress before his eyes. He was proud of her, so proud…

"Good. I think you have given enough with your fists, let them rest."

She shook her hands and tried to numb away the pain. 

"Now, for your feet. Go ahead and hit me." 

She nodded and threw her long slim foot up to his face. He blocked it. 

"Again. Do it a couple of times, I need to know what you're capable of giving."

She did it again and again, alternating between her right and her left leg. 

"Now spin and kick. Same as before, do it a few times." 

She nodded again and did as her teacher said. After a few kicks, he asked her to stop. 

"You're quick on your feet, that's great. Now we need to revise some fundamentals regarding the technique. Let me show you…"

And again, the Frenchman drowned her under an impressive wave of explanations, both detailed and precise on what to do and what to avoid. She was giving him all her attention, nodding from time to time to show that she was still with him.

"Right, now, do it again."

She did it. 

"Much better! You follow my instructions very closely, I appreciate it."

She smiled at him in thanks. 

"I do my best." 

"And your best is excellent, now, do it again and add more and more force to it but don't lose the technique!"

"Alright!"

And she went for it again. He admired her dedication. Her hands were visibly bruised but she kept on and on, relentlessly. And he now understood why Marc had said to him that she was _precious, like a diamond on the Moon._..

Lucien frowned and blinked repeatedly as if to wake up from a dream. 

"I think it's enough for today."

She raised her eyes to him and straightened her back, stretching her shoulders.

"Merci beaucoup."

[Thank you very much.]

"Avec plaisir."

[My pleasure.]

She took a moment to catch her breath. 

"Are you alright?"

"Oui, a bit tired but fine."

She dusted off her suit and gave him a thumbs up. He smiled. 

"Do you think you can teach me a bit of _your_ trade or are you too tired."

"Oh…" She clicked her tongue. "I'm not letting you out of this room before I can say I have taught _le Grand Lucien!"_

He took the step that separated them and smiled. She wrapped an arm around his waist and as he softened and melted in her arms, she quickly stole his revolver off his belt and slid back off him, pointing it at him.

"Lesson 1: don't let anyone get so close that they can disarm you. You should deal with them before they reach that limit." She asserted.

He raised an eyebrow. He was both surprised and well… Let's say that seeing the woman he loved being so assertive and confident had a wide variety of effects on him…! He smirked and raised his arms in defeat. 

"Fine, I shall remember that."

He watched as she started juggling with the revolvers. She walked around him while continuing her speech. 

"Your revolver should be part of your body, like an extra finger to your hand. To become good with it, it's countless hours of training on your aim and reflexes."

She stopped juggling and looked around. 

"See those targets?"

She looked at the wooden practise targets scattered across the room. 

"Oui." He answered. 

"There are… Twelve, yes, twelve of them and they're randomly placed in the room. Here, take your revolver and shoot six of them. That's an entire 6 shots from your revolver without reloading." 

He took his revolver and shot them one by one. He got them all, albeit not always in their middle. When he finished, he looked at her. She had been timing him, her eyes riveted on her watch. 

"Alright, now step aside and take note of my time." 

"Fine." 

He did as he was told and she took his place. 

"Ready?" She asked.

"When you are, Princesse." He answered. 

She nodded and started shooting. The rhythm of the shots was much faster than his and in no time she was done.

"How long?" She asked. 

"About 3 seconds. What about me?"

"A lazy 9." She answered with a smirk. "Now, reload your revolver and hand it to me." 

He did as he was told while she reloaded her revolver. 

"Merci." She said when his gun ended in her hand. "Now get ready to time this again. I will shoot all twelve of them."

"Alright. I'm ready."

The shots fired so fast that he had a hard time timing it. 

"How long?"

"I-I'm not sure." His eyes were open wide. She smirked proudly. 

"Well, that's the time you need to reach, and the precision too."

The Frenchman noticed that indeed, all the shots were hit perfectly in the center of the targets. 

"Are you serious?!" He asked. 

She giggled. 

"Non, don't worry. But get ready to time me again. This is the timing that I want you to reach."

"Alright." 

She reloaded both revolvers and looked at him on her right. 

"Ready?"

His eyes met hers and he nodded. 

"Watch this." 

His jaw dropped when he saw her starting to juggle with the revolvers. Each bullet was shot with one revolver while the other was in the air. 

"Timing?"

"5 seconds."

"Accuracy?" 

"One hundred percent."

"That's your objective." She concluded.

"Mon Dieu, Leila…" 

She reloaded both revolvers again and gave him his gun back. He took it and stared at it in his hand. 

"How on Earth will I be able to do that?"

"Aim for that target… Yes, good… Now, you're holding your gun wrong, let me help." She fiddled with his fingers to adjust their positions. "Now use your head as much as you use your eyes and when you'll become good enough, it will become a reflex."

"I-I'm still speechless… You can juggle and shoot?!"

"Well, where do you think my nickname comes from?"

The Frenchman gulped down hard and watched her sheath her gun and cross her arms on her chest, standing proudly next to him.

"Once your aim is good enough on a still target, I'll talk you through how to aim on a moving one."

Leila looked at her lover. 

"Lucien?"

He had zoned out. 

"Mon amour?" She snapped her fingers in front of his face and he got startled.

"Huh?"

"Did you hear me?" She asked. 

Lucien lowered his gun. 

"I've never in my long life seen anyone half as good as you are with revolvers." He said, still not believing what he had just witnessed.

"I know." She replied with a smile. "But let's get back to it. The earlier we start, the earlier we will be ready."

"Of course."

Lucien raised his gun aligning it with the target. 

"Your fingers are much better placed now. Try and shoot in the middle."

The gunshot split the room. 

"Good, that's not too bad. But I'm guessing you were more used to automatics, non?" She asked. 

"How do you know?"

"You make the same mistake I used to. See, with revolvers, the recoil is much bigger, but you're absorbing it wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Sniper of all people taught me that… Let me show you…"

And she repeated the explanation of her Australian friend. The Frenchman listened carefully, nodding along to show that he was following her. He took more shots that morning that the past ten years or so combined…! She moved the targets closer, further, more to the left, more to the right and provided advice whenever he wasn't hitting them well enough. He lit a cigarette and frowned, determined to improve.

"Again! And this time I want these three to have a bullet hole on the right!"

He shot again and again and again. Lucien removed his jacket and loosened his tie around his neck. He felt like he had been through countless ammunition boxes but still, she was adding more complexity, more nuances. 

"Hit the left one in the middle, the middle one on the right and the right one on the left!"

Bullets slashed through the air relentlessly. He lit another cigarette as his eyes flashed more eagerly and he gritted his teeth. 

"Now, step aside."

He did as he was told and they swapped. She stood her feet on the floor and raised her revolver, aiming at the target in the middle. She shot it, then the one on the right, and the left one. He raised an eyebrow, not understanding what her point was. 

"Hold my gun for a second please." 

He obeyed and watched as her hands went to her collar. She began undoing the tie around her neck. 

"What the… Leila? What are you-?"

"Shush! I need to focus!"

He closed his jaw and remained silent. She put her tie around her head and blindfolded herself. After she tightly secured the knot, she asked for her gun again. Lucien finally understood when he saw her slowly raise her gun. 

_Non, elle ne va quand même pas les avoir les yeux fermés?!_

_[No, she can't get them blindfolded, can she?!]_

Boom! Boom! Boom!

He smirked when he saw that her accuracy went dramatically down. None of the shots were centered. 

"Before you smirk like the irresistible devil you are, let me tell you this. I've hit the left target on the right, the middle one below the center and the right one on the left."

His jaw dropped. 

"And you may close your jaw too." She added, her tie still around her eyes. "Sometimes in a situation of battle, you don't have the luxury to see clearly where the target is. You must know where you saw it last and where it could have gone. In this case I know that these won't move, I just need to aim for them without thinking of any possible movement."

She finally removed the tie around her eyes. 

"Your turn." 

He extended his hand to take her tie but she shook her head and smiled. He raised a confused eyebrow. 

"Come here."

He obeyed and she walked behind him. She raised herself to the tip of her toes and delicately put the satin cloth on his eyes. It brushed his eyelids softly, inviting them to close, and he smiled. He wished she couldn't hear his heart accelerate and his body temperature rise.

But of course she felt it all. She smiled and secured the knot. She walked around him again to face him and raised herself on the tip of her toes to whisper in his ear. 

" _I promise that next time, I'll let you have your fun with the tie."_

The rush of blood he felt to his cheeks made him lose at least a decade on his age. A long forgotten warmth started to tickle his insides. His lips parted slightly. Oh he would have killed to know where _her lips_ were right now! 

She put his revolver in his hand. 

"Go ahead, try it." 

The Frenchman closed his eyes. He needed to see the room again. 

"Where should I shoot?"

"Wherever you want on the targets, just focus on landing somewhere _on them._ " 

He took a deep breath. He knew the room. The boxing ring on his left, the punching bags at the end of the room, the hoop on the floor, where he had left it. He frowned harder. The targets. There was one on the left. He rose his revolver and she watched him keenly, biting her lip. His hand moved to the left. Yes, yes that's where it was. 

_Boom._

His arm hovered to the right and in his head, he could see it. The iron sights aligned with the target. 

_Boom._

He virtually had his eyes open. He moved his arm further to the right and took his last shot. 

_Boom._

Eager to know how well he did, he removed the tie off his eyes and looked. 

"Mon amour…" Leila started. "Je crois que je suis mille fois amoureuse…"

[My love… I think I am a thousand times in love…]

The bullet holes were not only _on_ the targets, but spot on in the middle!

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading! 

I hope you enjoyed this one :D Let me know in the comments! :)

See you!


	34. Chapter 34

A few more days had passed. The plan became clearer for everyone. 

"We will infiltrate their base." Lucien had asserted.

"Do you even know where it is?"

"Non, but we will find it." Leila answered. 

"How?"

She looked at him as if to ask if she could answer. He nodded. 

"We'll disguise as two of them and we'll listen around and explore. Try to gather as much information as we can."

"Hm…" Engie pondered. 

"Something's the matter, Engineer?" The Frenchman asked.

"Well, what if you gather nothing?"

"Oh non, gathering nothing is something in itself. It tells us to step our game up."

"Engie, we will manage to find more information about them, trust us." 

Lucien smiled faintly. The idea of going on a mission with Leila thrilled him. He had spent the past week or so training her and she had shown great potential. He couldn't wait to test her further on the field.

"Alrighty then, I s'ppose you're the experts!" The Texan nodded. "On my side o'things, I've finished almost everything, I just need to improve your sappers and tweak you disguise kits. When you have a minute, could you come and drop them by?"

"But of course." Both masked agents nodded.

"And you Medic, any progress on the medical side?" Leila asked and all the eyes shifted to the German doctor in a white labcoat. 

"I'm glad you asked!" He raised his index. "Indeed progress has been made but I need some more time for… uh… _final adjustments,_ let's say?"

"Is that why Heavy's sick?" Scout said. 

"Fine." Lucien said before the medical expert answered. "So let's call it a day and regroup when Engineer and Medic finish."

And the mercenaries agreed before evaporating away from the living room, returning to their rooms. 

"Hey, Spy!"

The Bostonian accent made her blood freeze. She nonetheless turned to face him and acted out of politeness. 

"Oui?" 

Lucien and Lawrence watched from the door. 

"I was wonderin' if you'd like to uh… y'know… Maybe get a drink or somethin'...?"

"Scout, look, it's very nice of you, I really appreciate it but-"

Leila was about to finish her sentence when her friend's voice called for her. 

"Oh, that's Sniper calling, I'll see you later." 

The French lady exited the room, leaving the poor boy alone. He sat back on the sofa and frowned.

"Scout?"

He raised his head and looked at the man in the RED suit who came to sit next to him. 

"I admire your courage." Lucien simply said. "When I was young, I would struggle to ask a lady for a drink."

"What? Really?"

The Frenchman nodded. 

"Oui."

"But you're said to be good with them ladies."

"Oh yes, and that's why I didn't really need to talk to them much. Body language was enough to get me where I wanted. But when I did need to use my words, I always felt a bit apprehensive."

"Oh…" The young man lowered his head. "She's never gonna accept to have a drink with me, is she?" 

The older man lit a cigarette and tilted his head.

"I'm afraid she isn't very interested. She knows you're after her but on her side of things…"

"Yeah, right." Scout sighed. "D'you know if she's already got someone?" He looked at the man with the cigarette between his lips, the smoke elegantly twirling away from it. 

"Well, who am I to know?" Lucien smiled faintly. "You should ask her directly and let me tell you something…"

The young man looked at the RED Spy. The old man was staring in front of him and puffed on his cigarette.

"I can only understand your interest in her." Lucien stood up and walked towards the door. "She's the most beautiful woman I've ever laid my eyes upon." 

Before Scout could ask how he saw her and what he meant, the Frenchman's silhouette vanished in the blink of an eye.

_\-- Sniper's van --_

"Thank you for saving me from Scout."

"Bah, it's nothing. Though at some point, you'll have to tell him."

They both sat on the couch. 

"Tell him what?"

"About you and the other Spook, being…" Sniper stuck the tip of his index together and made her understand what he meant. 

"Ah, oui, I guess I will. To be honest, if you hadn't called me, I would have told him."

"You still could have told him, you just chose to take me as an excuse!"

"Meh…" She made a grimace. Of course her friend was right, but she wasn't ready to admit it. 

"So…" He started and she raised her eyes to him. "How's it goin' with him?"

"Scout?" 

"No, Spy."

"Oh… Uh, it's going well. He's been teaching me close quarters combat."

"You haven't learnt that back when you were a spy?"

"Of course I did. But I then specialised in revolvers as you know. So he's been helping me."

"And you think you're making progress?"

"Yes, dramatically. Despite what you might think, he's an excellent teacher."

"Ha! I'll believe it when I see it, Princess. Also, because of what you feel for'im, I can't really trust yer judgement."

"Fair enough. But still…" She took a deep breath and leant back on the sofa. She put one leg on the other. 

"Oh Lord…" He said, staring at her face. 

"What?" 

"I know this look on yer face."

"What?!" 

"s soon as I mention him, you sigh and lay back with the stupidest smile on yer lips. I don't even wanna know what you were thinkin' about."

"Of course you want to know!"

"Yeah, I kinda do…" 

They exchanged a laugh. 

"So tell me."

"I've been giving him a couple of tips on how to use his gun…"

"And?"

"And he's progressing faster than I thought was possible!"

"Well that's what happens when someone has a great teacher!" Lawrence exclaimed. 

"Thank you dear, but yes, uhm, he's getting really good."

"As good as you?"

"Non, not yet. But from where he started, he's greatly improved. I looked at him the other day at the end of a training session and…"

"And?"

"Lawrence… He's… I mean…" She felt the blush in her cheeks.

He put a hand on her shoulder. She diverted her gaze from him and felt her breath go short. 

"Lawrence… I love him more by the day. And each new day that God makes, I think to myself that there's no way I can fall for him more. And yet…"

"Ooh… You are falling deep and hard, aren't ya?"

She bit her lip and nodded. Sniper laughed. 

"Why are you laughing?"

"Because he came to me a couple days ago saying the exact same thing!"

"What?!"

"Yeah! And I'm tellin' you, I could see it, he wasn't lying, Leila."

"How can you know?"

"When he talks about you, he loses all his arrogance and his confidence. He sits at the corner of the couch, his back to me to make sure he can't see my grin and he talks about you without stoppin'."

"What did he tell you about me?"

"It's not really about you, it's more how he sees ya and how important you are for him. But I won't say anything."

"Why?"

"Cause he made me promise."

"Since when are you friends with him?" She asked. 

"Well since you both can't deal with yer bloody relationship!" He exclaimed.

"Argh! Of course!" She raised her hands to the sky.

"Dare tell me you'd be where you are with him _without me!"_

She looked at him and smiled.

"Non, of course not. Thank you so much, Snoop."

"Finally! Some recognition! That was high bloody time!"

"Hey!" She playfully shoved him with her elbow before standing up. He gave her an honest smile. 

"Roight, go back to him, don't make him wait or he'll get grumpy, the old man he is…!"

She chuckled. 

"Alright I will. Thank you Snoop." 

"Oi! Aren't ya forgettin' somethin'?"

Lawrence stood up and opened his arms. She smiled and went to hug him. 

"That's better, now go!"

She nodded and exited the camper van. The Australian didn't close the door right after she left. Instead, he just stood at his door, watching her walk back and enter the base, with a lazy smile on his lips. 

_\-- Spies' room --_

She knocked at the door. 

" _Entre mon amour!"_

_[Come in my love!]_

She smiled and pushed the door in. 

"What time do you call this?" His voice came from the bedroom. 

"The right one?" She answered, removing her coat, her gloves and her mask.

"I shall allow it to pass for this time! But I trust you to not turn it into a habit!" He came to the living room, his dressing gown on his shoulders above his normal working clothes.

"Either you're jealous, or you missed me." She said as she went to the bedroom, walking past him with a wink. 

He turned as he saw her walking away from him. 

"Why not both?" He replied.

She stopped sharp and turned to him. His answer did surprise her.

"Why not both indeed, I guess…"

She was about to push her bedroom door when she felt his hand on hers, holding her back. 

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked. 

"To the bedroom, to get a change." She answered. 

"Oh, non, non, non. This is not what is going to happen, _ma jolie."_ He pulled on her arm and when she was close enough, he wrapped it around her waist. 

"So what _is_ going to happen, Monsieur?" She asked. 

"Well, first, you have a promise to keep."

"A promise?" She repeated. 

"Oui, don't you remember?" He asked, pushing her towards the bedroom while going straight for her neck. 

"Wh-what are you talking about? What promise? I never made any promises to you?" 

He had pushed her all the way to the bedroom and she was now standing with the bed right behind her. He stopped ravishing kisses on her and looked at her eyes, a malicious smile on his lips. He bent slowly just to whisper in her ear. 

_"My turn to have my fun with your tie…"_

She didn't have time to answer but felt him fiddle with her collar. In no time her tie slid against the collar of her shirt and he put it between his teeth, smiling and wiggling his eyebrows. Her pupils went wide and her jaw dropped. Her knees gave up and he felt it. He delicately laid her on the bed. 

He put one knee on the bed, next to her, and retrieving the tie from his teeth, he tied it around her eyes. She was breathing fast and short. Her eyes were useless now so she had to rely on her other senses. She shyly raised her hands and he guided them to his chest. She touched it and moved her hands up until she found _his_ tie. She grabbed it and pulled it down to herself. 

Their lips collided and he chuckled. 

_"Impatiente?"_ He murmured.

[Impatient?] 

She nodded and undid his tie. 

" _C'est de ta faute."_ She answered.

_[It's your fault.]_

He giggled from the bottom of his throat, a low, slow laugh. She was shaking when he put his lips back on hers. Her hands went to his hair. His silk, grey locks flowing between her fingers. Good thing she was wearing a blindfold, she couldn't open her eyes if she had wanted to. The softness and gentleness he kissed her with was overwhelming her senses. She laced a leg behind his back and pulled him to her. He couldn't hold back a chuckle. Lucien was thrilled that she was so enthusiastic. 

He felt her fingers slide to the buttons of his shirt and opened them. He let her do. She fumbled with his shirt, her fingers trembling with anticipation, her eyebrows arched high up. When she was done, she tried to push the shirt away but struggled. He did it for her and removed it completely. 

Lucien slid a finger from her lips down under her chin until he reached her shirt. 

"May I relieve you?" 

She nodded again. He undid the button much faster than she did but didn't open the shirt. He pushed her to lie completely on the bed. He was on all four, towering her. He noticed how her breath accelerated. 

_"Je vais trop vite?"_ He asked. 

_[Am I rushing things?]_

_"Je… Je ne sais pas…"_

_[I… I don't know…]_

He laid on her and hugged her. She wrapped her legs around him and he let all of his weight on her, pulling her head in his neck. And he heard it. He heard her breath go syncopated. He felt her clench her fists on his neck. He held her as close as possible, as safe as possible, as she sniffed repeatedly.

_"Ne retiens pas tes larmes."_

_[Don't hold your tears back.]_

And she burst into tears. He screwed his eyes shut and tightened his embrace. 

_"Pleure aujourd'hui mon amour. Je ne te demanderai pas pourquoi. Je n'ai pas besoin de le savoir. Juste… Juste sache que je suis là pour toi, pour tes rires comme tes larmes. Je suis là, entièrement pour toi."_

_[_ Cry today my love. I won't ask you why. I don't need to know. Just… Just know that I'm here for you, for your laughs as well as your tears. I am here entirely for you.]

He was hugging her to shield her from whatever was causing her grief. She drenched the tie on her eyes but couldn't do anything else but let her tears run. 

"Y-you're wrong…" She said between two sniffs and Lucien backed off slightly to let her get some air. "It's-it's happy tears…" 

"Huh?" He looked at her and she was smiling. Her hands went to his cheeks and she brushed them. They were stinging because of the stubble but she liked it very much that way. 

"It's happy tears because… Because I think I'm happy now, I'll spend a night with the man of my dreams…" She removed the soaked tie off her eyes and blinked repeatedly. He brushed her eyelids to wipe her tears away. "A man that I love… I've spent my nights with a man _I_ chose and-and he chose me too! It's-it's not-"

"Shhhh… Mon amour, I know what you mean. I know it all too well."

"Do you feel it too?" She asked. "The feeling of being lucky, as if the Earth was emptied out and it's just you and me on the entire planet."

"Oui, the feeling of being something _unique_ , something that has never existed and never will again, the feeling of something that you never imagined possible but which actually exists, something you didn't see coming, something your head never pre-imagined, _the true mystery._ " He finished for her. "If that's what you mean, oui, I feel that, and much more."

She took a deep breath and wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her for a while. 

"Am I crushing you?" 

"Non, you don't. And I love it anyway. I love to feel you against me… _on me._ "

"Then I shall stay here."

Silence fell. He was still lying on top of her, safely hugging her and she was still clinging on to him as if she would to dear life itself. 

"Lucien?"

"Oui?" He looked at her in the eye. 

"Je t'aime." 

[I love you.]

"Moi aussi. Pardon si je suis allé trop vite."

[Me too. Sorry if I'm going too fast.]

"Non, please. Go ahead."

"What?"

She pulled his face closer to hers and kissed his cheek before whispering in his ear. 

_"Go ahead."_

"Are you sure?"

_"Oui. I'm all yours and…"_

"And?"

She whispered more quietly. 

" _I can't wait for you to actually relieve me of my shirt…"_

He smirked. 

"I'm sorry to have made you wait. I shall make up for it."

"You'd better be."

"Or what?" He asked. 

"Or I _will_ make you regret it." She said and he bit his lip.

"Oh, I don't know which option I prefer…" Lucien put his fingers on her cheek and caressed it down to her lips. 

"Leila, I…" He stared at her lips and felt the heat coil up inside him. Oh, that long lost feeling. 

"What?"

"I… I don't really know if I can say it."

"You can try, I'm here with you."

"I haven't felt what I am feeling right now for long, long years." His fingers painted her lips repeatedly. He lowered his head and chuckled. "Listen to me now, I sound ridiculously sentimental…"

"Maybe," She answered. "But I can hardly resist you."

He smiled and his hand slid further down to her shirt. He arched his eyebrows up as if to ask permission and she nodded, sniffing one last time. Lucien opened the panes of her white cotton shirt as delicately as he could, like he would unwrap a precious Christmas gift. His pupils dilated as his eyes encountered the last layer that protected her intimacy. 

Even though there never was any doubt, the Frenchman could say it now: he was absolutely sure that _she_ was really a _she_ …

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading!

Let me know what you thought of this one in the comments. :) 

See you!


	35. Chapter 35

Lucien's eyes were feasting on what he was lucky enough to have under him. Leila was lying on her back, her hands on his cheek and behind his head, trying to touch more of him, make sure he was really there, between her hands. 

Oh but the Frenchman couldn't dream to be anywhere else.

_"Tu es magnifique."_

_[You are magnificent.]_

She smiled at the compliment.

"I really don't think I am." She answered. 

"What are you talking about?" He asked. "Not only do you have the prettiest face I've ever seen, but your body… It's…" 

The word never came and he bit his lower lip instead. Her smile grew bigger. She was delighted to have such an effect on him. Leila watched as the Frenchman was devouring her with his eyes, her chest in particular. It was still hidden behind a black bra. The motifs of the laces on it were quite intricate and shone under the night lamp only shyly. He loved it. There was something he loved about it all, something new. 

Leila was the first woman he _discovered_ that slowly. With the others, he would rid them of their clothes in a flash and get to business. But it felt wrong to proceed that way with her. He thought he was doing it out of respect for her but of course there was more to it than that. If the Frenchman was unraveling the wonders of his lover as slowly as he could, it was also because deep down, that was what he was after. A deeper and more meaningful relationship with a woman. He was tired of being the handsome man that they would share only a few nights with. He was old enough now to realise that such adventures bore only very little meaning. Non. What he wanted now, and what he wanted _with Leila_ , was to _take his time to enjoy her fully._

_"Plus je te regarde, plus je suis amoureux."_

_[The more I look at you, the more I fall in love with you.]_

She smiled when he said it. 

"Merci, mon amour."

[Thank you, my love.]

She sat up and he watched her remove her shirt completely and throw it away. There she now was, her shoulders and stomach as naked as they could get. She was very slim indeed he realised now. He loved it. His hands went to cup her face and he dived forward to her lips. He kissed her passionately and pushed her to lie back down. 

Non, tonight shall be the night. 

He added the _French to the kiss._

Tonight shall be the night, he was sure. As his tongue met hers and danced, he frowned trying to not let his feelings overwhelm him. She was hanging off his neck and his hands went down to explore her naked silhouette, her shoulders, her sides, her very thin waist. She had shivers each time his hands brushed her skin. It sent electric buzzes across her body and she couldn't do anything but fall deeper for him. If his kiss was ferociously passionate, his hands were very delicate. 

She moaned under him and he rolled his eyes, hearing her satisfaction. She loved the way he could kiss her. He was the only one who could make her mind go blank like that at the mere touch of his lips. She also couldn't resist feeling the stubble sting her skin. It very much felt like he was scratching a match against her skin, setting her mind ablaze. His tongue twisted and turned and she felt it all again, the nicotine, the addiction…

He broke the kiss and looked down at her. She caught her breath and smiled. 

_"Lucien, je veux que cette nuit avec toi ne s'arrête jamais."_

_[Lucien, I want this night with you to never end.]_

He smiled. 

_"Tes désirs sont des ordres."_

_[Your desires are orders.]_

He dived down again but this time he went to her neck and kissed his way down to her shoulder. She slid her fingers in his hair. Each little proof of affection he planted on her sent a pulse through her skin and its warmth diffused across her entire body. 

"The way you speak…" He said between two kisses. "The way you move… The way you look at me with those eyes of yours… Leila… You are the most dangerous woman I have ever known…" 

Oh he was good with compliments. He knew exactly what to say and how to say it. His lips moved back to her neck while his hand explored further down, her thigh. 

Both were feeling the temperature rise. They were hot, too hot. He went to her ear. 

" _Do you mind if I get rid of my trousers? I am way too hot."_

Had the context been different, she would have burst out laughing. Lucien, the fully grown and older man, the most confident - some would say arrogant - man she ever saw was asking her such a trifle…?

"On one condition." She answered. He looked at her with question marks in his eyes. 

"You rid me of mine too."

He smiled. 

"That is not a condition, it's a bonus." He replied as he moved forward to put his lips on hers, lazily kissing, without putting much effort while his hand went to unzip his trousers and pull them down. He only broke the kiss to finish removing them and putting them away. When he came back to it, she was the one to pull his lips and lead the dance. To be honest, that was also why he had fallen for her. Unlike most women he had known, Leila knew what she wanted and wasn't afraid to actually take the lead on things. She very much existed on her own.

His hand went flat on her stomach and slid down to unzip _her_ trousers. He broke the kiss and she opened her eyes. Again, he raised his eyebrows to make sure he could proceed and the slow blink of her eyes gave him the green light. He smiled and stared at her as he pulled the zipper down and undid the button with one hand. She exhaled only a bit louder. His hand hovered above the zip of her trousers. He didn't dare do anything more and it surprised her. She thought he would pull her trousers down but…

The truth is, his mind went blank. He didn't know how to do it anymore. He had done it thousands of times before but he wanted to do it differently with her, he wanted to do it _better._

_"Quelque chose ne va pas?"_ She asked.

_[Something's the matter?]_

_"Non, je t'aime à la folie, c'est tout."_

_[No, I love you to madness, that's all.]_

She smiled and got rid of her trousers for him. He sat up and looked at her entirely. 

_"Wow…"_ His lips moved but no sound came out.

_"Oh voyons, tu as du en voir d'autres."_

_[Oh come on, you must have seen countless other ones.]_

_"Jamais aussi belles que toi."_

_[Never as beautiful as you.]_

She rolled under the bed cover and invited him to follow her. He gladly accepted and in no time he was spooning her, all his body against all of hers and kissing her neck and back. 

His hands slid everywhere slowly to discover the skin that he never touched before. He pulled her and she rolled to face him. Lucien then put one hand on her side, on her pelvis and brushed his thumb against her skin, staring at her. 

"I bet you have never taken your time with a woman before like you are now."

"Indeed. How did you guess?"

"Same for me with a man." 

He smiled. 

"Am I going too slowly or too fast?" He asked.

"Non, you're doing perfectly fine. I love it when it's slow. It's a luxury I never could afford." 

"Oh, I know, I understand. But I must ask if it's only because of that."

"What do you mean?" She asked. 

"Well, I love to take my time with you not only for the mere thrill of it but also because I feel like that's how I love you in the end."

"You love me _slowly?"_

"Non, Leila, that's not what I meant. I meant that I love you differently. I don't love you because I have to pretend that I do and I don't love you to pass the time. I love you _for real._ "

She smiled. 

"That's how I love you too, you irresistible man. And the longer it lasts, the more lucky I feel to have you. But tell me, what do you feel exactly?"

His hand slid down to her thigh and he caressed it slowly. Judging by the way that she blinked slowly, she was clearly enjoying it as much as he was. He propped his head on his hand, planting his elbow on the bed, lying on his side.

"I could stay like this and look at you for the entire night. When my lips touch you, they could stay on you forever, I never want to break any contact I have with you. And…"

"And?" She asked even though she saw that he was struggling to find the words.

"And you manage to wake things up in me that have been dormant for so long that I simply forgot about them."

"Oh?"

"Oui, the weird feelings in my stomach, my insides burning sometimes at the mere sight of you… These are things that I haven't felt for long, long years." He raised his eyes up. "I am trying to recall the last time I felt like that but… Argh, I can't remember."

"It doesn't matter." She said and his eyes went to hers. "But I'm delighted. Lucien, can you show me where you feel that strange heat?"

"Well… Uhm, yes, I guess I can but…" He looked away.

"Hey." His eyes went to hers again and she took his hand. "It's only me." 

"Non, it's not _only you._ How can it be _only_ you when you're _everything_?"

Oh he was good with words, he really was…!

"Show me." She asked him. 

Lucien took her hand in his and stuck it on his chest. He pushed it down to his stomach. 

"It starts here…" He pushed it lower down to his lower abdomen. "...and ends lower than here."

"Lower?" She repeated. 

"Oui." He nodded. "I used to think that I couldn't feel anything past this point because of my old age. Now I know that I just had to meet you."

"C-can I ask something?" 

"Of course."

"Anything?" She insisted. 

"Anything." He answered. 

"You say all this and it sounds like you've been… dead… I mean…"

"Oui."

"What?"

"Leila, I understand what you're getting at. Yes, I have been… dead there for years now. And nothing could change it no matter how hard I tried. But nothing ever managed to do what your blindfolding me did the other day, or what your eyes do. Even now, I'm just touching you but your naked skin is more than what I can take."

"D-do you… Uhm… Do you…?" She struggled to get the words out. 

"Leila, you can ask me whatever you want."

She took a deep breath and put her hand on his cheek. 

"Do you feel anything _right now_?"

"Oui, I do."

"Right… because I've been feeling something for a long time now but I never knew if you also felt it or if it was just me."

"Non, I feel it too." He said, pulling her thigh to himself and she laced her leg on his.

"Alright… Good… Because… I-uh…" 

He brushed his leg against hers, slowly and his hand slid from her thigh up to her side.

"Leila…" Seeing her struggle to say it made him give in more.

"Lucien, I think I… I think I…" Her eyelashes fluttered, showing how hard it was for her to tear the words out of her head into the air.

"I want you." They both whispered at the same time. 

Silence fell inevitably after, like the thunder strikes in a storm. They were out of breath, staring at each other's eyes in the dark, pupils wide, breath short and hardly able to gulp down their dry throats.

And the two waves of the same ardour crashed. Like two flames that slowly devour the two ends of the same long wick, racing to its middle, sending sparks as it progresses through the days, the years, the ages. Finally, the two blazing sparks met and the two halves of the wick although consumed black by the fire, exhausted and emptied of their vital essence woke up brutally again. Like a phoenix from its ashes, they were both getting a second chance at life, one where they could be what they really were: two ends of the same wick. Where did they get their chance from, that energy to once again try to sacrifice everything and put this foolish adventure of the heart first? Where did they get this energy from? From each other, from how hard they wanted to believe in it and from what they would sacrifice to build it, together. 

They say that the value of something is measured by the amount that you are willing to lose to get it.

Judging by their eagerness, the way their breaths mingled, their moans drowning their ears, the way their nails scraped lightly at each other's skins, clinging to anywhere along the other's body, the way their hands shyly and blindly unveiled what remained to be explored, they were ready to lose it all. 

All of their life decisions however bad they have been piled up to _that._ All of the choices they made along the way pointed them to here and now. And suddenly there were no regrets anymore, no remorse. The "I should have done this" and "shouldn't have done that" were pointless. In fact, they _did_ all these things and looking back now, if _all of that_ led to this sacred embrace, then so be it. If that miserable life of lies, pain and deceit was the price to pay for this precious and oh how immeasurable moment of peace, _so be it._

For now they minds were blank and their pupils black. Fingers laced and intertwined as the dance of their tongues resembled none other. Their bodies were melting and slowly, the barriers that decades of professionalism had built up crumbled down in dust. 

_"Leila…?"_

_"Oui…"_

He didn't have to use words anymore, they were the two halves of the same mind and didn't need words to communicate. Their hands were enough, their lips were enough, and their thoughts, more than what they needed.

And when the souls met, the bodies soon followed. She wrapped her legs behind his back and pulled him to herself. He held her close and pressed his lips harder on her. They stayed there, for a moment, because they needed time to realise what was happening. They needed to catch their breath and understand that for once since a very long time, it wasn't something that they were forcing themselves to do, but something that they _wanted_. And even if they had been there countless times before, it felt incredibly different, unexpectedly new.

Neither were surprised to see that the other knew how to play their part masterfully. But both were surprised to discover that they were now free to _not_ do so. They were free to indulge themselves and the other. They were free because at the end of the day, they weren't looking to get some intelligence out of the other or anything like that. Non! They were there because they _had chosen to_ , both of them, they had taken their own initiative of their own free will. And what did they want in the end? 

Ha. They couldn't put a word on it. 

To put it simply, they wanted to seal their love. Mark it down in their body as hard as it was carved in their marble minds. And they did. 

That night, they would remember that night. Not only was it a milestone for them both but it was their first _true love night._ The first that made sense, the first that didn't exist because of any need but their own. It was _theirs_ and their way to decide how to spend it. 

And it lasted the entire night. Neither wanted to give up, neither wanted to stop. Because as long as they kept on, they were still in their dream, _if it was one._ When she kissed, he lapped, when he nibbled, she moaned, the bedsheets swished, legs mingled, hand touched, pulled and grabbed. Both were clinging to each other, giving as much as they could, receiving as much as they were given, trying to survive each proof of love the other would share.

"Mon amour…?" Lucien's voice split the silence.

When the first rays of sunlight peeked through the curtains, they hadn't slept yet. 

"Oui?" 

Leila was laying on him, her head next to his, breathing down his neck. 

"Je pense que je suis réellement amoureux pour la première fois maintenant."

[I think that I am falling in love for real for the first time now.]

She smiled. 

"Moi aussi."

[So am I.]

He turned his head to her and smiled. They exchanged a quick kiss on the lips and he adjusted the bed cover on them both. 

"Je t'aime." She said, staring in his eyes.

[I love you.]

"Je t'aime aussi." He added.

[I love you too.]

And before they realised it, they both fell asleep in the middle of the early birds chirping.

_**\-- Author's notes--** _

Thanks for reading!

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it :D Let me know if the comments!

See you!

  
  
  
  



	36. Chapter 36

Leila opened her eyes slowly and took a couple of seconds to land back in reality. She was in her bedroom on her bed. She rubbed her eyes and stretched her arms and legs like a cat. She let a long sigh escape her lungs. The memories of the previous nights came to her and she smiled. She looked around her but no Lucien. 

She smelled the air and an all too familiar smell tickled her nostrils. She got up, only put on her dressing gown and went straight to her lover. 

Unsurprisingly, she found the Frenchman in front of the stove. The cats saw Leila enter and the lady spy put an index on her lips as if to ask the felines to not make any noise. She walked as silently as a panther to her lover and wrapped her arms around him from behind. 

"Huh?!"

He gasped and she chuckled, laying her cheek against his back. 

"You scared me and you laugh?!" 

"That's what you get for all the times that _you_ scared _me_!"

Her hands brushed his dressing gown and slid underneath it, on his naked skin. She moaned and her cheek being against his back, he felt like she was gently purring on him. He smiled.

_"Viens ici…"_

_[Come here…]_

He pulled her to come in front of him. She slid between him and the stove and he wrapped an arm around her, bending down slightly to kiss her head. She leant her head against his chest and closed her eyes, rolling them up in bliss. 

_"Tu as bien dormi?"_ He asked.

_[Have you slept well?]_

"Oui." She simply answered, burying her head deep in his chest. 

Lucien hummed a melody as he cooked the usual morning omelette. Well, _morning_ is a wild concept when it's already technically the afternoon. But neither of them regretted having spent their night _not sleeping_. As he hummed, he tapped the rhythm lightly on her waist, rocking her left and right gently. She slid her hands behind his back under his gown and wrapped her arms around him. The knot on his gown gave up and it slid open completely. She untied hers too and stuck herself to him. He let his head rest above hers. Like a lazy ocean hugs the shore, he held her close to himself.

She didn't see but he had long stopped the stove. He nonetheless kept on pretending to be cooking for her to stay against him. He had forgotten how enjoyable it was to feel the heat of a woman's body against him, skin against skin. He closed his eyes again and smiled, his cheek resting on her head, rocking her left and right softly. She felt his ribcage inflate and deflate in a long sigh. 

_"Coeur qui soupire n'a pas ce qu'il désire."_

_[A heart that sighs isn't getting what it desires, it's a French saying.]_

His eyes snapped open. 

_"Tu te trompes."_ He answered.

_[You are mistaken.]_

She raised her head to see him. 

"I have everything I didn't know I desired." He added. 

"Oh, what is that?" She asked, feigning innocence. 

"Do you want me to show you?" 

She nodded and he smiled. 

"Then follow me." He took her by the hand and they crossed the living room. He led her to the bathroom. Lucien placed Leila in front the long mirror there and went behind her, his hands on her shoulders. 

"There, you see it now."

In a flash she blushed and grabbing the panes of her gown, she tied it shut, hiding the body that she couldn't bear to see. 

"Oh…? What's wrong?" Lucien raised an eyebrow. 

"I… I don't like seeing _it…_ "

" _It?_ " He repeated. "You mean yourself?" 

"My face is fine." She answered, looking at his reflection on the mirror. "It's hidden under a mask most of the time anyway."

"Oh, so if it's not your face then it's…" 

Before he finished his sentence she lowered her head. The Frenchman went to face her, standing between her and the mirror, blocking her reflection. 

"But why? You look ravishing, you're slim, you're tall for a lady, your skin is the sweetest colour and you're young. Why can't you possibly like your body to the point of… Well, to the point of hiding it that adamantly?"

Her head hung still low. 

"It's a body I gave away too many times."

"What do you mean?"

"Lucien, I had to give it to so many men… It's disgusting."

"What?! Non!" 

He cupped her face, forcing her to face him. Her eyes were still evading him.

"And the scars, and marks, and-"

"Leila." He cut her. "Look at me."

She frowned. 

_"S'il te plaît, regarde-moi."_ He insisted.

_[Please, look at me.]_

Her eyes slowly rose up to his, round and dark brown.

"Leila, you are gorgeous. There isn't a man alive on this Earth who ever resisted you." 

"Non. The scars and wounds make me look like a… like a _freak._ I bet you were scared at best, disgusted more likely, as now you finally see me."

"Non!" He exclaimed. Indeed in the darkness of the night he hadn't been able to see her in great details but all he had seen more than satisfied him.

"Non! Leila, qu'est-ce que tu dis?!"

[No! Leila, what are you saying?!]

She sighed but he went on, squeezing her cheeks. 

"Your face is magnificent and your body… I love it and I can tell you than no man would tell you otherwise. It's the body of a beautiful, dangerously attractive woman. _Mon amour…_ I don't know how to phrase this without sounding very strange but…"

She raised a curious eyebrow and saw him bite his lip. He went to her ear and whispered.

_"On dirait que tu es faite de caramel… Je… Je crois que je pourrais te manger comme un bonbon."_

_[Your body looks like you are made of caramel… I… I think I could eat you like a sweet.]_

She blushed intensely and he felt the heat on her cheeks, under his fingers. He couldn't face her gaze after what he had just said, so his face stayed next to her ear. 

_"Ton corps est magnifique. Tes cicatrices et tes marques aussi. Elle font partie de toi, de ton histoire, c'est comme ça, elle font de toi la Leila que j'aime. Je ne voudrais pas d'une autre."_

_[Your body is magnificent. Your scars and marks too. They are part of you, of your story, that's how it is. They make you the Leila that I love. I wouldn't want you any other way.]_

She closed her eyes. 

_"Et j'ai aussi donné mon corps à trop de femmes, beaucoup trop d'entre elles. J'aurais aussi aimé qu'il en soit autrement. Je me suis senti comme toi longtemps, comme si mon corps ne m'appartenait pas vraiment… Mais non, quand j'ai donné mon corps, c'était pour quelque chose qui compte. Pour aider mon pays, pour protéger les miens. Et regarde-moi, je suis un vieil homme maintenant."_

_[And I too gave my body too many times, to too many women. I would have liked to avoid it too. I felt like you for a long time, as if my body wasn't my own anymore… But no, when I gave my body, it was for something worthwhile. To help my country, protect my people. And look at me now, I am an old man.]_

She turned her head to look at him in the eye. 

"You say it as if it was a bad thing." She said. 

He looked down at her. 

"Isn't it so?" He asked.

She shook her head between his hands and she freed herself from him. 

"Time for me to show you something…" 

Leila put her hands on her lover's shoulders and made him spin so that he was now facing the mirror. 

"What do you see?" She asked. 

"Bah, an old man who spent his days not living his own life, not building anything, nothing will stay of him when his candle will be blown. But he had some good laughs, some memories he will keep to himself dearly. There are people who made a contribution to his life and he wishes he could see them again, tell them that they mattered. But they're all gone now. They're surely watching him, from the sky or the other side of that mirror. Their efforts didn't amount to much, even though I tried to make it count."

She frowned.

"I think you are forgetting one or two things." She said. "Do you mind if I tell you what _I_ see?" 

"Be my guest." 

She walked in circles around him, her red gown flowing around his blue one, her arms crossed on her chest.

"First, you never once described your physique."

"What is there to say? I'm…" He looked at his reflection between his legs. "...a man, quite obviously, and an old one at that." 

She rolled up her eyes and shook her head.

"My hair used to be black. It has more and more grey…" He carded his hair quickly. "Even some white at the front and on the temples… My beard and moustache too. In no time I will be able to pass as Santa Claus himself."

She chuckled and he smiled.

"My eyes are tired, I have lines on my face, at the corner of my eyes."

"What about your body?" She asked. 

"Well, not much to say there. I am not too slim, not too fat and not too muscular. I've always been like this. The hairs on my chest and well…" His eyes went from his chest down. " _Everywhere else_ has grey patches too. My skin isn't as young as it used to and you talked about your scars but look here." He pointed at a scar on his arm. "And here, and here even…!" His eyes and index had darted in multiple directions on his torso, arms and legs. 

He sighed. 

"The scars along with the burn marks" He removed the gown from his shoulder to reveal them. She hadn't noticed them as she had only touched him and in the dark of the previous night, she hadn't seen any of it. "Those burns marks from… Bah, forget it… Voilà, I think I described myself…"

"Are you sure?"

"Oui, I think so."

"May I ask, are these burn marks from…" She brushed her hand on them, on his shoulder. " _Torture?"_

He hid the burns again under his gown and sighed. 

"Lucien, mon amour…" She kissed his shoulder, where the burn mark was. "Let me tell you what I see…"

He nodded. 

"Lucien, I see the most handsome man my eyes ever laid on. You're tall, your silhouette is perfect, your skin tells the tales of the years you have gone through, as do the lines on your face." She walked around him to face him and stroked his cheek, through his short beard. His lips stretched in a smile. 

"Each of these lines…" She brushed the tip of her index finger on the corner of his eyes. "They tell the story of a man I cannot resist, no matter how hard I try. A man who thinks he won't leave anything on this Earth but he forgets."

"He forgets what?"

"He forgets that he is a hero. If his name is unknown to his fellow countrymen, it is the most highly spoken of in some circles. He forgets that his face is on the wall of the Ministry of Defense because he freed his country."

"I only help-mh!"

She smacked her index on his lips.

"Shush! You said you were finished describing yourself!" 

He sighed and shook his head, grinning. 

"He freed his entire country, he accomplished more than any other secret agent ever did, and how…? People tell stories of him, myths, legends! The man who I have in front of me right now leaves me weak with just his reputation…!"

She removed her finger from his lips and moved away from the mirror so that he could see his reflection again.

"But Leila, you will say, you have barely described my physique too! Well, I'm coming to that, _mon amour._ Look there." She pointed at the mirror and his eyes followed. "How can anyone resist that…? Well, I can't. You have the most pleasant hair my fingers ever had the privilege of touching. It's straight and flows like silk."

"I much prefer your curls, they're-oof!"

She stuck her index on his lips again and gave him a threatening stare. Well, she meant it to be threatening, but he saw it otherwise… After she let the silence speak for her, she resumed her speech, looking at the mirror, at Lucien's reflection.

"When I look at that man, I see the most beautiful and piercing eyes I've ever seen. Their colour is exquisite, they're very light blue, almost grey. They scared me for a long time. That's why I couldn't look at them directly. They're too strong, bewitching…"

She removed her finger from his lips again. 

"I prefer your dark eyes, they're made of pure _mystery."_

She pretended she didn't hear him but he knew she did. 

"And your body…" She stood between him and the mirror and put her hands on his chest. 

"Your skin is lighter than mine but I've always had a thing for men with fair skin yet dark hair. And it's definitely a bonus if their hair happens to be salt and pepper. Salt and pepper are spices, _and I'm all for a spicy man."_

He raised his eyebrows and smiled. 

"As you said, you are a man alright, you've got everything that I could look for in one, and even more. Lucien, I don't know how to say this for you to understand. The mere sight of you make my knees tremble, and when your eyes look into me… brrr…" She purred and shivered. "It's the most exquisite sensation. I feel my insides burn, it becomes difficult to breathe and…" 

She leant her head on him, grabbing the panes of his gown in her hands.

"I just think you're amazing."

He closed his arms around her and hugged her close.

"Merci." He said. "I can't deny that since I… well… Since _I fell in love with you_ , I've felt much younger."

"Non."

"Oui, I have."

"Non, you don't feel younger. You just feel _alive_. You feel like you wake up for a reason, you have someone to hold in your arms, someone to keep you warm on your skin, and inside too."

He stared at her and she saw his pupils grow. 

"You took the words out of my very mouth." He said. 

"Can I take more, please?" She asked as she wrapped her arms up around his neck with a smile, her eyes staring at his lovingly. 

"Help yourself." 

She pushed herself to the tip of her toes and put her lips on his. Lucien smiled and bent down slightly, he tightened his embrace around her, one hand behind her head and the other on her lower back. 

When their lips parted, they slowly opened their eyes again and stared at each other. 

"Don't I sting you with my beard now?" He said, brushing his fingers on her cheek. "I'm sure I must do."

"Again, _who tells you it's a bad thing?"_ She raised an eyebrow. 

"Ah oui, you did say, you like your men _spicy._ Well, I like my women…" She raised her eyes to him and he went to her ear. " _Dangerous and mysterious, I like them exotic, I like them with eyes as dark as the wonders that she hides deep at the bottom of her soul, I like their hair to be as black as it can get, curly, intertwining my fingers, holding them prisoners as much as her lips hold mine, and her voice bewitches me. I like my women to have eyes that speak louder than words, long black eyelashes that brush the air like a panther's claws would scrape my skin. I like my women to ignite my body with as much as a gaze from her irresistible eyes, as if each time I looked at her, she had lit a match and thrown it at my bare skin, my entire being consumed by the flames of her beauty."_

He looked at her and saw her lips tremble, her surprised eyes wide open. Lucien smirked. Ha! He still had it! He still could do it! Make a woman snap like a fragile twig between his fingers! Now he knew that if he simply dropped his lips on hers…

Leila exhaled in a long moan as her legs melted. He couldn't hold back a very arrogant smile. He held her like a flower between his hands, feeling her bend under his fingers. Lucien felt that her legs had given up and so he had the responsibility now of carrying her weight, not that he would complain…

_\-- Sniper's van --_

There was a knock at the door. 

"Huh?" 

That was a new knock. 

"Who's that?"

"It's me, Snipes!"

_Snipes?_

He went to the door and opened.

"C-can I come in?"

"I guess you can." 

The young man removed his cap off his head as he stepped in. Sniper motioned him to the sofa and both took a seat. 

"So, why did you come to see me?"

"I wanted to ask if… if you're… I mean…"

"Scout, if you don't ask, I can't answer."

"I know!" The younger man said, irritated. "It's just hard, ok?"

Sniper let silence fall.

"So yeah, uhm… It's about Spy." Scout said.

"Which one?"

"Ours."

"Roight, what about her?"

"You're her boyfriend right?"

"What?!" Sniper opened wide surprised eyes.

"Oh come on! Admit it!"

"No I'm not! Why would you think I am?"

"Because I've always seen you two together, since the first day!"

The Australian's mind rolled back in time. The first day… Ah yes! When Leila found him in the kitchen and Scout had come to bother him for a game of cards or something. He remembered that! Then the breakfasts, the trips to town, the dinners in restaurants… It all seemed like it had happened in another time and space now.

"Mate, you're very wrong, I'm just a friend."

"Well of course you'd say that!"

"It's the truth, ya piker! Now if you really wanna be sure, go and ask her!"

"Hm…" The young man crossed his arms on his chest and Lawrence sighed.

"Look, Scout, I swear I'm nothin' but a friend for her. But uhm… you're interested in her?"

The silent answer from the Bostonian was more than clear. 

"Well, uh, look mate, I know her quite a bit and she's… She's got someone already…"

"Really?"

"Yeah and if you ask me, I think you don't stand a chance."

"Oh…"

"Wait, you seem surprised, you didn't know she had someone?"

"No, how could I! I even asked the RED Spy after you went away with her at the last meeting and he said that he didn't know."

Lawrence burst out laughing. 

"Hahahahahaaa!"

"Why're you laughing?!"

"Oh sorry mate, nothin', I'm sorry. I'm just-bah, forget it… But he really did tell you that?"

"Yeah!"

"What a bastard…!"

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think of it in the comments! 

  
  
  
  
  



	37. Chapter 37

"Coffee? It's the same as usual."

"Unless you have been hiding one that actually has any taste in this ridiculous van of yours, yes, please."

Sniper rolled his eyes up and poured the black liquid in two mugs and gave one to his friend in the red suit before joining him on the couch. 

"Merci."

"You're welcome."

They both took a sip and it cleared their foggy minds. 

"Scout came to see me a couple of days ago." The Australian started.

"Oh, what did he want?"

"To know if Leila was my girlfriend."

Lucien chuckled. 

"Poor boy…" The Frenchman added. 

"Poor boy? He told me _you_ told him that you didn't know if she had someone in her life!"

"Oui, I did tell him that." The Frenchman smiled.

"Why? Why didn't you tell him the truth?" Sniper asked.

"Did _you?"_

"Nah, it's none of my business!"

"Well then you're as guilty as I am, if not more."

"How could I be more than you?"

"Because you knew of Leila's feelings before me!"

"Ah, yeah, well…"

They exchanged a laugh between two sips of the coffee.

"Don't you find it strange?" The Frenchman asked. 

"What? That you lied to Scout? Nah, I'd say that you're paid fer it so…"

"Non, not _that!"_ The Frenchman facepalmed. "We used to kill each other and now I'm sitting in your van, drinking coffee with you."

"Ah, _that…_ Yeah, it's kinda weird I guess. D'you… D'you still wanna kill me?" 

Lucien smirked and lit a cigarette. 

"Not more than if I had to pay for this coffee."

"Oh quit it! It's decent!" 

The Frenchman puffed on his cigarette and smiled. 

"Also, what's this new beard ya have now?" 

"Well-" 

"Oh Lord, it's _her_ , isn't it?"

Lucien looked at his friend in the eye. 

"It is indeed. She likes it."

"And, do _you?"_

"Well I can't say that I like it as much as she does, but the way she looks at it is more than exci-"

"Roight, roight, roight, stop it roight there! Ergh!" Sniper stuck his tongue out. 

"Are you… Disgusted?" The Frenchman asked.

"Yeah, it's like you're describin' my sister!" 

Lucien burst out laughing, catching his breath with short snorts. It made the Australian laugh. 

"Well, you've got one hell of a hilarious laughter…!"

Lucien raised an eyebrow. 

"Are you trying to seduce me?!"

"Nah! No! Ergh! Never!"

The Frenchman laughed again, seeing how red his friend's face turned. 

"So what about you… _Lawrence,_ isn't it?" 

"Yeah, and you're uh… _Lyushian_ or some'in'?"

"Lucien." The man in the red suit corrected. 

"Yeah, _Lucian…_. What is it you want to ask?"

"Do you have anyone in that heart of yours, _if you have one that is…?"_

"Oi! You're the bloody arrogant, absolutely egotistical-"

"Fine, I get it." The Frenchman raised his hand to stop Sniper.

"Yeah well, I don't have my sights on anyone anyway…" The Australian shrugged.

"Ah, fine." 

"And uh…" Lawrence started. 

"Oui?"

"How's it goin' with Leila?"

"Pretty good, I would say. But I won't give you details, _your prude ears are too fragile apparently."_

"Oi! Yeah, nah, it's just-it's just weird for some reason. But if you wanna talk, go ahead, just try and spare me, ok?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"In that case," Lucien cleared his throat and nonchalantly said. "We had our first love night." 

The Australian's eyes nearly popped out of his head and he nearly spat out his coffee.

"Ya what?!"

"I know, I'm surprised too. We took our time. I never imagined I could…"

"Ya mongrel! What don't you understand in _'try to spare me'?"_

Lucien smirked. 

"It was… _Marvelous,_ absolutely _divine."_

The Australian raised his eyes to the sky and as he did, he crossed the Frenchman's silhouette. He had leant back in the sofa, his head back, his eyes staring at the ceiling. The smoke from the cigarette between his lips whirled up in the air. 

"She's… Incredible. I didn't do half the things that I usually do with a woman but… But it was amazing."

Lawrence felt he would explode with the blush. 

"Erm… Well… Uh… What d'you mean?"

The Frenchman raised an eyebrow. His friend's curiosity surprised him but he continued. 

"I mean that when I usually spend a night with a woman, I have a… well, a _set of things that I go through with her._ "

"Sounds awfully borin'."

"What?!" The Frenchman's head swooshed to meet the Australian's eyes.

"Well, you're basically sayin' that you know in advance what you're gonna do and in what order and stuff… It sounds like it's very mechanical and you don't do it with any actual _feelin's_ ! Have you ever _enjoyed it?"_

Had Lucien wanted to answer, he wouldn't have been able to. He sighed and his shoulders sank. 

"Again, you're far from stupid…" 

"Hey…" Lawrence put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm sorry about all the sarcasm, I'll tone it down. Now tell me." 

"I… I think you're right. I've rarely, if ever, enjoyed a night the way that I did with her."

Lawrence tapped his friend's shoulder. 

"Ah I'm sorry mate… But I'm glad that ya finally, uh, y'know what I mean."

"It was incredible. It will certainly mean nothing to you but discovering her was an entirely new experience. Rarely have I felt half of the shivers that she made me feel as I removed her layers, uncovering her, revealing her secrets… And what beauty… Lawrence, would you believe me if I told you that she's the prettiest woman I've ever seen? So young, so beautiful, so delicate… I held her in my arms and the softness, the warmth!"

Lawrence softened and smiled. The Frenchman caught his breath and sighed. His eyes still on the ceiling, his head on the back of sofa looking straight up, he continued while the Australian drank his coffee.

"You will mock me, and you will be right in doing so, but I think it's the first time that I'm falling in love truly. None of the women I've known before were half as… _perfect_ as Leila. And that night, I felt I was back to square one, no experience, I knew nothing and didn't know what to expect. What she gave to me, I received the same way as a fresh wave of the Atlantic sea would catch me by surprise. It filled me, washed me entirely inside and out. Lawrence?"

The Australian raised his head off his mug. 

"I think… I wish for you to find your Leila someday." 

The Frenchman turned his head and saw the sharpshooter smile. 

"Well, I've found her already in a way. She… Uh, well, she changed you as much as she did me. I feel like I have friends now."

Lucien straightened his back on the sofa and nodded. 

"And yeah, as I said, she's very much a sister to me. Someone I can talk to about anythin' really. It's-it's really nice." 

"And she brought you and me together as friends, not enemies."

"Yeah, despite the backstabs," The Australians pointed his finger at the Frenchman.

"The jarate," Lucien answered.

"Your bloody arrogance,"

"Your absolute lack of style."

They looked at each other and smiled. 

"That sheila, she's a blessin' and a half."

"Oh, oui, she is just about that."

"And I'll say it again," Lawrence started. "If you go around breakin' her heart or somethin'...!"

"Same to you, Bushman! If I ever learn that you caused her any grief…!"

They nodded to each other with a smile. 

"I'm glad you don't like women." Lucien said.

"Eh?"

"She likes you a lot."

"Heh, someone's jealous…!" The Australian smirked. 

"I am not jealous. But I will try my hardest to be her favourite."

"Don't worry, she's fallen veeeery deep for ya."

"How do you know?"

"She told me that a couple of days ago!"

"Really?" The Frenchman adjusted himself on the couch.

"Yeah!"

"What did she tell you?" 

"I won't tell you!"

"Why not?!"

"Because she's my friend!"

"Oh come on! At least tell me one thing, one tiny thing! I don't come here in your ridiculously narrow van, drinking what you dare call a coffee to go back empty handed!"

"Oh if my coffee is that disgusting well then don't come back ya bloody bogan!"

"But where are you getting these kind of news from, hm?" The Frenchman raised his eyebrows and smirked confidently. 

"Argh, you're a devil in a suit…!" The Australian lightly punched the Frenchman on the shoulder and both chuckled.

"Right, we should get going," Lucien looked at his watch. "The meeting is in a few minutes."

"Yeah, let's go."

_\-- Living room --_

"Alrighty then, I think we're all here now."

Engie's eyes swept across the room swiftly, making sure that all the faces were there indeed.

"Right, so I finished everything you need." The Texan pointed at one of his blue boxes on the ground. He crouched down and opened it. 

"These are the new earpieces. They work differently enough from the other ones that I believe the bots can't hear us. Here, catch that!"

He threw an earpiece at each of his colleagues and they put it on. 

"There… Hey, can you all hear me?" 

"Yeah!" 

Little by little, they all raised their thumbs. 

"Perfect! Erm… I've also tweaked your sappers but it'd be nice to have one robot to test it on… I mean it grills any electronic circuit nicely but I don't know if that'll be enough…"

"We'll go and get a robot for you." Leila asserted. 

"Thanks, pardner. There's one thing though: the respawn system."

Leila and Lucien looked at each other. 

"Don't worry, I've fixed it! If anythin' too bad happened, you'd respawn _here._ "

"Thank you very much, Engineer. I really appreciate your efforts and your work." The Frenchman said. 

"We all do." Leila added.

"Thanks, so uh yeah, that's my part of the job done. Medic…?"

The German doctor stood up and took Engie's place in the middle of the living-room. He put a briefcase on the floor and opened it.

"Ja, I have devised some new tools. These… are capsules. You take one and it should diffuse some medigun fluids, should you get internally wounded."

"What if we get shot or burnt?" Lucien asked. 

"Ah! Well then these should do!" He pointed at some white sheets of cotton. "These are soaked in medi-gun fluid. They're all in an individual sterilised sachet. You are to open them when you need it and stick the adhesive part on the edge around the wound. Use them like you would classical plasters."

"Fine." 

"In any case, we now have earpieces that work, so we should be able to work and I should be able to guide you, should you need my help."

"Great, thanks Medic." Leila said. "Well, it sounds like we are ready!"

"Yeah!" Demo cheered, raising his bottle. "Woohoo!"

"Uhm, wait, what are _we_ supposed to do?" Scout asked.

"You will act as supports!" Leila said as she stood up from the sofa's armrest.

"Supports?" Soldier repeated. 

"Yes! Look here…" Leila grabbed a pen and paper from the nearby table and spread the sheet of paper on the coffee table. "This is the spawn room… Here's the barn, the road… That's your usual spot, Sniper… Right, does everyone recognize the map here?"

The mercenaries had gathered around her and nodded. 

"Good. Now, from what we saw last time, they are quite spread out. If the disguises you provide fool them, then we can blend in easily."

"Oui, they patrol in group of 2 or 3." Lucien added. 

"So we'll go through that route. But we need you guys to back us up in case something goes bad. Also, you will act as extra pairs of eyes and will let us know if anything happens out of our line of sight."

"Exactly." Lucien approved and asked for the pen wordlessly. Reading his mind, she put the pen in his hand. "Sniper, you should watch us from a safe and practical distance. The rest of the team should stand about here." 

"That's super far!" Scout exclaimed. 

"We don't want you to engage in combat. Your role here is to defend us, should we fall back in a haste. You are to start fighting only we tell you to, understood?"

The mercenaries nodded. 

"Good. We only need your eyes and ears for this mission. The main objective is to gather information."

"What if you find Miss Paulin' and the Admin?" The young man asked. 

"Then," Lucien answered. "We will assess the situation and let you know what the best course of action is."

"Yeah, nah, it'll be very suspicious if you found them like that." Sniper said, snapping his fingers.

"Exactly." Leila confirmed. "Are there any questions gentlemen?" 

"Yes sir!" Soldier raised his hand. 

"Yes Soldier?"

"When will we attack?!"

"Tomorrow in the afternoon, if everyone is happy with that?" Lucien looked at everyone. The mercenaries didn't seem too thrilled. The Frenchman took a deep breath and cleared his throat. 

"Gentlemen!" He said. "Look lively! Should I remind you why we are doing this? Two ladies as well as my entire team are nowhere to be seen. As much as I understand your reasonable hatred for us, we are but your counterparts! There can't be BLU without RED! And that also means that the roles could have been reversed! Today _my_ team has disappeared but what says that it couldn't have been _you?_ Or maybe your turn is patiently waiting?"

He slammed his fist on the coffee table, and the mercenaries straightened their backs. 

"Non! Gentlemen! This is a necessary truce! Why? _Mon Dieu!_ What would we be without Miss Pauling? Without the Administrator? Without Mann Co. entirely?! Where else can we get such a safe contract as paid killers?! Where else in the world can we kill without thinking about the consequences?"

He opened his arms. 

"Nowhere of course! Look around you! We are all rejects of society! We aren't made for any other job but _that_ and this position that _you_ have with Mann Co., you can't find it anywhere! "

"Yeah!" Demo answered, raising his bottle again. 

"Affirmative!" Soldier agreed. 

"In that case gentlemen, when are we doing this?! When are we going to investigate and find Miss Pauling as well as the Administrator again, hm?! When?!"

"As soon as possible, pardners!" Engie joined the cheers.

"Da! And if we need to fight robots," Heavy cracked his knuckles. "We will crush them!"

"Ja!" Medic joined his colleagues. 

"As much as I hate ya, you're bloody roight!" Sniper said.

"Yeah! We'll get Miss Paulin' back guys!" Scout joined in the cheers too.

The Frenchman smiled at the motivation he managed to instil in his colleagues. He failed to see that someone had gone awfully silent for a moment, someone whose breath had cut short at the first sentence of the speech, someone who was devouring him with her eyes, pupils wide and a lazy smile on her lips. She didn't even realise that she was smiling.

"See you tomorrow then at 2.00pm sharp!"

"Yeah!" The mercenaries felt the blood pump again in their body. They couldn't wait to get back to some field work!

_\-- Spies' room --_

The Frenchman shut the door after her lover entered. He secured all the locks and when he turned to face the room, Leila had already disappeared. Lucien didn't pay much attention to it and went to feed their cats. Perle and her kittens came trotting happily when they heard the pack of cat food being shaken. 

The Frenchman poured the food in the bowls and lazily stroked them, whispering sweet words to them.

"Lucien?" Her voice came from the bedroom. 

"Oui?" He answered. 

" _Tu peux venir s'il te plaît?"_

_[Can you come over here please?]_

" _Bien sûr, un instant."_

[ _Of course, just a minute.]_

The Frenchman made sure that his cats had enough water and then, he turned on his heels. He removed his shoes before entering the room, next to its closed door. He pushed it and entered. 

"Oui?"

Leila was on the bed, in her dressing gown.

"Viens."

[Come.]

She lightly tapped the bed next to her. The Frenchman smiled and nodded. 

"Avec plaisir."

[With pleasure.]

He came to the bed and sat down, his back to her. He removed his tie and-

"Oh?" 

She stole it from his hand and giggled. He raised an eyebrow but before he could say anything, the tie was around his head blocking his eyes. 

"Someone wants to play tonight…?"

"It's the way you spoke…"

"What do you mean?" He asked.

She removed his jacket for him and after throwing it away, she laced her arms lazily, like two snakes around his chest, from behind. She held him dearly for a moment and left a kiss on the back of his neck. 

"You don't even realise it yourself but the way you spoke to encourage us for the mission tomorrow… It was more than _thrilling_."

Leila then went around and off the bed, she undid the first few buttons of his shirt and put her hands on the edge of his mask. He was letting her have her way, his lips stretched in a smile as he imagined hers. 

"Oh, so _that_ 's what got you in this mood?" He asked. 

She bit her lip and answered.

"That, yes, and just seeing you."

Leila removed the tie from around his eyes and pulled the mask off. The Frenchman's hair got everywhere. She chuckled. 

"What?"

"Your hair."

"What about it?"

"It's all ruffled now," She tilted her head. "You look different." 

"How so? Is it bad?" He asked. 

She sat on his lap, straddling his thighs and went to his ear. 

_"On the contrary…"_ She whispered. _"You look…"_

She hesitated on the word and for an instant he didn't know what to think anymore. 

_"Wild."_ She finally said. 

He smiled. 

"Do you like it that way?" 

She bit her lip. 

"I can't say, I've never tried _the wild Lucien."_

Still sat on his lap, she continued undoing the buttons of his shirt. He felt the fresh air slide on his chest more. He looked down at her hands and let her proceed.

"Would you like to meet him?" He asked.

She gasped. 

"I-I don't know… I mean, it's not just me in this. Of course I do want to see what he looks like, if this _dangerous man_ exists. But it's only if you want it too."

Lucien put his fingers on her chin and held it delicately.

"Oh but that's all depending on _you."_ He said. "If you push my buttons right, you might find that he will appear." 

Her eyes shrank and her jaw dropped for a short while before she smirked. 

"I take it as a challenge."

He wiggled his eyebrows. 

"Are you up for it?"

She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a very arrogant look. 

"Consider it done already." 

The confidence in her gaze and in her voice made his blood boil.

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thank for reading!

As always, comments are great!

See ya!

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	38. Chapter 38

Leila was on her lover's lap, straddling his thighs. The night was dark and they were in the safety of their bedroom, the door closed and all the lights apart from the night lamp on the bedside table were off. 

She went to his ear to whisper. 

" _Lucien, prépare-toi, je viens te chercher…"_

[ _Lucien, get ready, I'm coming for you…]_

He gulped down his dry throat and bit his lip, his eyes riveted on hers. He wanted to kiss her already and lead things but his curiosity won over. He wanted to see how she would manage it all. 

Leila removed his shirt and standing off of his lap, she guided Lucien to lay on the bed, on his back. She laid on top of him. 

_"Now, you're mine."_ She murmured and his chest inflated automatically.

She took his tie off the floor and as he saw it approaching he raised an eyebrow. 

"Again?" He asked. 

Leila smirked. 

"Maybe…? Maybe not…?"

She dived in for his lips and kissed him. Her kisses were very prude, almost cold. But that's when he felt it. It was all but a distraction. She had taken his hands and raised them over his head. He then felt the soft fabric of the tie around his wrists. He moaned and chuckled between two kisses.

When their lips parted, she sat up and looked at him. He was bare-chested, lying on the bed, his wrists tied up and out of the way. His smile was gorgeous. 

"I like where this is going." He calmly said. 

"It's not all." She answered. She went away from the bed. He watched as she opened her wardrobe. She took something and came back. 

"Because I'm sure you know how to undo this knot, I will add another one, one that you will struggle to get free from." 

And she added another layer of tie and knot on his wrists. She sat on his pelvis and raised her index. 

"Now here is the game. I will not tie your wrists to the bed frame but if you lower your hands and touch me, you lose. Understood?"

He nodded. 

" _Bien._ Now that's _your_ part of the game." She said.

"What's yours?" He asked. 

"Mine?" She smirked. "Will be to make you lose it of course, and in no time."

"Oh you don't know me Mademoiselle…" He said. 

She lowered herself and kissed him.

"I already told you, it's _Madame."_ She answered. "I very much belong to someone now." And she kissed his lips again, her hands brushing his cheeks.

"I thought you were not that type of woman, the type to just _belong_ to a man." He teased. 

"Oh I've never been that, non… Until I met a certain gentleman."

"Ooh, this tale interests me." The Frenchman said between two short kisses. "Pray tell me more."

She smiled and put her index on the tip of his nose.

"Don't try and put me off my road, Monsieur. In this game, _I will win_ , no matter how hard you try to distract me."

He smirked. 

"Oh no, this is not what will happen, _ma jolie."_

_[My beauty]_

"You're tied up here and still trying to take the lead on things…? Bold move." She said. "But I'm curious now, _what_ will happen then?"

"You expect me to just lose this game without a fight? You are very wrong, I will very much fight until I prove to you that even tied up, I can win."

She chuckled.

"Oooh, Monsieur is confident… We'll see how long you will last…"

She took his lower lip in his and as he opened his mouth a bit more, she subtly brushed her tongue past his. He screwed his eyes shut and moaned. She instantly removed her tongue and came back to chaste kisses. Her fingers slid down his chest, lightly scratching their away down. Her hands were cold. He shivered. 

Her fingers stopped there and played with his chest more. She managed to pull quite a number of sounds from him and she was very much proud of herself. A quick glance to him showed that his eyes were still closed. Leila took advantage of it and _added the French to the kiss again._ She found him more than delighted to have her intrude in his mouth in such a sweet way. His head rose slightly off the bed as he felt she was withdrawing again. 

Leila went to his ear. 

_"Lucien?"_

His ears pricked up. She pinched his chest and he hissed, rolling his eyes up.

She chuckled and it was a vicious thing. His legs slid on the bed and he contracted his thighs. She felt it and went to his neck. She left a trail of kisses and soft bites there which he liked very much, judging by the way he was losing control over his breath. He started twisting and trying to turn on the bed, as if that would help him contain himself. But Leila being sat on him, she felt his every move and she knew that on his side of things, the fight to try and resist had started. 

She went back to his mouth and kissed him without holding back. The way he exhaled was more than satisfactory. It was a long, desperate sigh. He had wanted this a lot. But she didn't let him enjoy it for too long and withdrew. He opened his eyes and they were shining viciously. 

"You are such a tease tonight!"

She smiled. 

"Is that admitting defeat?" She asked. 

"Pff, in your dreams!" He answered, trying to show that he still was very much master of himself. 

She raised an eyebrow and shook her head. 

"Then I will have to try… _harder._ " 

She sat up and he watched as her hand went to the knot of her dressing gown. She pulled on one end of its belt and it flowed open. The Frenchman's jaw dropped. 

She had noticed his reaction when he had seen her underwear last time and she knew he would appreciate just that. She was wearing a black laced bra but it wasn't just that, non. From the bottom of the bra the intricate motif of the laces continued and traced her stomach and abdomen. The Frenchman's eyes went the size of a planet when he saw that it was all connected to her underwear down below, which of course was matching. 

She raised a proud eyebrow at the look of utter shock on her lover's face. He was disarmed and could never have expected _this_ ?! His mind went blank in the blink of an eye and only one thing mattered now. _It was her._

"Impressed, I see?" She teased. 

" _Viens m'embrasser!"_ He raised his head off the bed.

_[Come and kiss me!]_

"Uh, uh, uh!" She put her index on his lips. "Someone is losing their patience…!"

She freed herself from her red gown and threw it away.

"You are cheating!" He said and she chuckled. 

She lowered herself until their chests barely came in contact. He was breathing fast and short, the blood pumping hard through his body. She lazily dragged her index to paint his lips, her face a few inches away from his.

"And pray tell me where it is written that I can't pull off this card, hm?" She asked. 

He stuck his tongue out and it touched her finger. She smirked seeing how desperate he was becoming. His eyes were black with eagerness and he was starting to feel frustrated. 

_Perfect_ , she thought. 

She dropped herself more on him and their chests were now against each other. The touch of the intricate laces on him sent his skin on fire. His breath accelerated and she could feel his lower body twisting and turning. Lucien inhaled deeply and exhaled in short, syncopated bursts. He wanted more of her, much more!

"You are _such a tease!"_ He repeated. "If I had known you could be like that…!"

"Are you disappointed?" She asked. 

"Oh mon Dieu, non, on the contrary! Give me your lips, please!"

She laughed. 

"Look who is losing his means, as we say in French. _'oh but you don't know me',_ he had said. Well, mon petit Lucien, you don't know me either."

She kissed him and she could clearly feel how desperate he was in the way he aggressively pulled on her lips, his thighs wiggling, sliding past each other, wanting to go away but not being able to. 

She slid her hand down and undid his belt so subtly he didn't realise it. He was too busy with her lips. She unzipped his trousers and when her hand slipped underneath to touch his thighs, that's when he broke the kiss and moaned with an open mouth, jerking his head back, and screwing his eyes shut. His legs had hardened all of a sudden.

"Mon Dieu!" He exclaimed, blinking repeatedly as if to confirm that he was here and now. 

"I hope you will forgive me for not asking first…?" She said playfully. 

He moaned again and tried to catch his own breath, furiously biting his lip to try and smother his own moans. Her slim and cold hands still exploring.

"Oh please, you are all forgiven…" He managed to utter, albeit with difficulty. "Leila…?"

"Hm?" 

"Give me your ear, I need to tell you something." 

She got her head closer to his mouth. 

_"I will free myself from these ridiculous knots you have tied me with right now and I will make you regret this entire teasing game."_

"Ha! You wish! I'd love to see tha-huh?!" She gasped. The Frenchman had freed himself in a flash, as smoothly as if he wasn't tied at all, and rolled her over to be the one who is now towering her. He dived straight to her mouth to get the kiss that he had been craving for.

Leila felt drowned by him. He had come at her like a wave, washing away all her senses at once. She felt the eagerness in the twist of his tongue, the frustration that she had managed to build up blowing up and away. He placed a hand behind her neck to pull her to himself while the other one was running everywhere along her to feel that black lingerie she was wearing. As his hand slid down her thigh, his fingers slid on something that was not her skin. He broke the kiss and looked down. She was wearing long black socks that went up to about half her thighs. 

She smiled and he looked up at her eyes again. 

"Tell me," He started. "When we came back from the meeting and you went straight to the bedroom, was it to put on all this?"

She nodded. 

"And when you called me, it was for this too?"

She nodded again.

"And my speech during the meeting alone did this?"

She shook her head. 

"What else then?" 

"All of you." She answered.

"You are an absolute angel." He started and she smiled. "But now you will have to face _the wild me_." 

Her pupils went the size of a planet and her breath went short. He smirked and pounced to her lips and mouth. She welcomed him warmly with a chuckle but soon her laughter died away as he took everything away from her. Her laughter, her smile, her tears, her mind. His touch racing on her skin, his warmth wrapping around her and in her mouth, between her lips, on her tongue and everywhere around. 

She knew he could be extremely delicate but now he was showing another side of him. A side that she only caught a glimpse of while dancing the tango with him. 

Lucien was a man of passion. When he put his heart to something, he put it entirely. 

Leila felt him everywhere, it was insane! His hands were everywhere at once, his legs sliding against hers and his mouth now on her neck. She grasped his hair and held on to it while arching her back up, reaching for air, fresh air, she was drowning!

She felt his sharp teeth digging in her neck, like a hungry snow leopard, his tongue licking the wound back to peace and also tasting her very skin. He had said it half-jokingly a few days before.

_You look like you're made of caramel. I could eat you like a sweet._

The Frenchman didn't have much of a sweet tooth, until he met her. His entire being had flipped upside down within himself, his taste did too. Suddenly, he craved for all her sweetness, but not in a prude way, far from it. 

He had his hand on her stomach and despite his yearning, he was fighting within himself. There was something he wanted to do but… 

_"L-Leila, je me retiens de force…"_

_[L-Leila, I can hardly contain myself…]_

_"Pourquoi te retenir?"_

_[Why would you?]_

He broke his kiss and stopped everything for a moment. He looked down at her.

_"J-je peux vraiment…?"_

_[May I really…?]_

Again, she melted on the inside. The simple fact that he asked her before doing anything was moving her as well as his touch. 

_"Mon amour, je suis à toi."_

_[My love, I'm yours.]_

She answered, sliding her hands on his cheeks. She added. 

_"Fais ce que tu veux, je te veux toi sans retenue."_

_[Do as you please, I want you without any restraints.]_

_"Vraiment?"_

_[Really?]_

He insisted and she bit her lip, letting the silence hang for a second that felt like eternity for the Frenchman. He would be oh so very distraught, should she refuse…

_"Oui. Je t'aime et… I want the wild you."_

_[Yes. I love you and…]_

He bit his lip and she stroked his face, pushing his white front lock of hair that was falling like the last wall between their eyes. When she did, she revealed hungry eyes. He was on all four, towering her, staring at her eyes. 

"Leila… I don't know if… _Merde…"_

[Shit…]

He diverted his gaze from her.

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing. It's not you… I mean… I-" He looked at her. "Leila, I want you more now than I did ever before… Are you sure you are ready for this? Y-you can still refuse, I'll calm down and-mh!"

"Ssshhh." She put her index on his lips. "Stop being afraid of what you feel. I told you, I love you, all of you and I want you as much as you do."

"Non! Non you don't!" He exclaimed and moved away from her. She looked at him, intrigued. She watched as he removed his trousers. They landed on the floor, a mass of dead fabric. He sat at the edge of the bed, his back to her and rubbed his face from his brow down to his chin and held his head in his hands. 

Leila rolled on her stomach and lifted herself to be on all four. She went behind him and put a hand flat on his back. 

"Tell me, what is it…?" She implored. 

"Leila, you don't want me as much as I do you… I trapped myself like an idiot! Ah yes, so much for feeling twenty-odd years younger! _Putain de merde…!"_

_[Fucking hell!]_

"What are you talking about? I want you as much as you do! How can you think that I don't?!" She answered, slightly offended. 

"You don't understand!" He almost shouted.

"Then explain it!" 

He sighed. 

"Before I do, I-I must apologise…" 

Leila's blood froze. She felt the anxiety surge in her as if someone was branding her bare skin with red-hot iron on her temples and her ribcage shrank. Lucien stood up from the bed and turned to face her. His head was hanging low. She followed his eyes and…

Leila gasped. 

"I-I'm sorry… I want you too much. You don't deserve this, you don't deserve that I want you _like that_ …" He looked away from himself, ashamed of the body that had betrayed him. He didn't know what to do with his hands, he fiddled with them nervously.

"Lucien, what the hell are you talking about? If my body could show it that blatantly, it _would_ and it would have done so since day one!" She said calmly.

"Oh you say that to comfort me." He said, his eyes still not looking at her or himself.

"Lucien!" She shouted, stood up on the bed to look down on him. 

He looked up at her and she cupped his face. 

_"Tu ne veux vraiment pas entendre à quel point je t'aime? Lucien, je t'aime, je ne sais pas en quelle langue te le dire, je t'aime et je te veux, je te veux tout entier…"_

[You really don't want to hear and understand how much I love you? Lucien, I do love you, I don't know in what language I should tell you, I love you and I want you, I want you entirely…]

She hugged him and because she was now much taller than him, she hugged his head in her chest. He closed his eyes. 

"Lucien, mon amour…" She kissed his head in his hair.

"But you don't deserve this."

"What are you talking about? It's the best and truest compliment you could make me. If your body wants me that much, why is your head refusing?"

"Refusing?!" He freed himself from her and sat down on the bed. She sat next to him and held his hand. "My head isn't refusing. I'm just trying… I'm just trying to make things right. I don't want to go too fast, I don't want to lose you, you're too important, too precious. And…"

"And?" She asked. 

"And you're my last attempt. I don't want to even try further. You're my last and my best. The day you decide to leave me, I will finish what little days I have alone."

"Lucien!" She laced her fingers in his and clenched. "How-why do you think I would leave you?! You're my first and my best. I don't want any other man to come near me."

"A-are you serious?" He said raising his eyes to her.

"Lucien, I can swear on whatever you think is dear to me, but there's really only you. I love you and I take it as an honest compliment that you should… well… _want me_ that… ahem… that _hard._ " 

Leila slid a hand on his cheek and smiled to him. 

"Again, I'm sorry my body can't show it as clearly as you but… heh… I mean… Ahem…" She diverted her gaze from him. 

"Are you…?" He asked without finishing his sentence and he saw her cross her legs and squeeze her thighs. 

"I am in the same state Lucien." She said, her eyes still riveted on the ground. 

"I am sorry then." He answered. 

"What for?"

"Doubting you. I just don't want to believe in it too hard and then realise that I've put my last bit of heart in something that is bound to die." 

That last word resonated loudly in her ears like the bells of a million churches, the metallic sounds deafening her. 

"Non." She replied. "Non, mon amour. Look, I told you I never considered myself belonging to anyone. I could never give myself to someone because I knew they didn't have the shoulders to bear the responsibility and danger that I entail. But you…" She stared at him, the depth of her brown pupils shining almost in golden refractions under the night lamp. It split the darkness of the room and seized his soul sharply. 

"You're the only one, Lucien. If I ever build a life that makes sense, it will be with you or not at all. I mean what I say as much as you do. Please, believe me the way that I do you, blindly, because I love you way too much. I understand you are scared, I am too. B-but I'm sure we can work something out."

He bit his lip. 

"You…" He started and turned to face her. He was still fidgeting with his hands on his thighs, awkwardly. She saw it and put her hands on his, to help him calm down. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat. He raised his eyes to hers and raised a shy hand to her face. She pulled his hand to her cheek and he sighed when his fingers came in contact with her skin, his shoulders sinking. 

"You…" He repeated. "You are so unique. You are not _a diamond on the Moon._ You're…"

She smiled.

"I don't know what I am, but I'm _yours."_ She whispered. _"I am yours, and I want you."_

" _Embrasse-moi."_ He murmured with the last bit of breath he had.

_[Kiss me.]_

She gladly obliged and if at first he felt uncomfortable, Lucien very quickly sank in her charms again and actually pushed her to lie again. He wasn't afraid or ashamed anymore. It's the way that she kissed him that gave him his confidence back. She was asking him wordlessly, softly and passionately. 

Lucky for her, the Frenchman was well versed _in that tongue…_ He understood her demand and pushed her to lie in the middle of the bed. He devoured her lips, her cheek, her neck and slid down along her collarbone. She felt his unsureness again and rolled him over to be the one who is now straddling him. 

Leila laid her hands flat on his chest and smiled. He followed her fingers as they travelled up to her own shoulder. One of her straps fell down. His eyes widened. She curled a finger towards herself. 

The Frenchman sat up and they were kneeling on the bed, face to face. He put a hand on her shoulder and removed the other strap. He then bit his lip. 

_"Vas-y."_ She murmured.

_[Go ahead.]_

There was a knot at the back. He slid a hand behind her back and got closer to her. He pulled the black satin ribbon and she felt the whole thing on her upper body loosen on her skin. He elegantly brought his hand to her cheek and kissed her as he unstuck his chest from her. The laces flowed down, tickling their skins as they fell. 

"I love you so much." He whispered in her ear. "Je t'aime, je t'aime, je t'aime." 

She smiled and let him lay her on the bed again. 

"May I relieve you of your tights?"

"Please do."

"May I do it _my way?"_ He asked. "I'm afraid that if you accept, you won't see them again."

The idea set fire to her curiosity and because her voice had gone, she simply nodded. He got off the bed and came soon after. 

He looked at her on the bed, wearing nothing but underwear down below and those long black laced tights covering her slim legs. The ball of fire in his lower abdomen burnt him even more.

"Leila." He said, standing in front of the bed. " _Tu es magnifique… Je… Je n'ai pas de mot…"_

[You are magnificent… I… I don't have the words…]

"Where is my _wild Lu'?"_

"Lu'?" He repeated. 

"Yes, like the biscuits* because I wouldn't be against having you _as a late night snack."_

[*In France, LU is a very famous brand of biscuits.]

She saw his eyes flash and slice the dark blue of the night that was wrapping them. He put his hand on his waist and freed himself from the last layer he was wearing, the last barrier that had been almost painfully constraining him, the last wall between romance and passion. She quickly looked down and saw that indeed, the Frenchman was _very much in the mood._

He put one knee on the bed and held her leg in his left hand delicately. 

"Do you trust me?" He asked. 

"Oui." She answered without hesitating for one second. 

"Are you sure?" He raised an eyebrow and she saw the flames at the bottom of his eyes. The eagerness, the anticipation that he barely could contain. 

She nodded, half terrified and three quarters thrilled. She saw a metallic sheen shine between his fingers and it went too fast for her to process anything. In no time he was holding in his closed fist long streaks of black laces that dangled down, tickling her skin. Her jaw had dropped and he feasted his eyes on her pupils growing wider. He smirked. 

Oh he was back in his place now. The irresistible Frenchman, impeccably dressed, his suit and smile as sharp as his blades!

_Speaking of…_

"Did you… Did you _cut my tights with your blade?"_ She asked, still looking up at him. 

He flicked the butterfly knife without looking at it. It danced between his fingers and she could only see its sheen flashing on and off under the night lamp. With the other hand, he made her last layer of clothing slip below her hips, knees and out of her legs. 

They were now in the costume _of Adam and Eve_ , as they say in French.

He threw her final underwear in the air and threw his blade at it. It pinned it to the wall next to them. Her eyes followed the blade and her breath had cut short ages ago. 

_"Oh mon…"_

[Oh my…]

He put his index under her chin and made her face turn to himself. He dropped on all four and his face was only a few inches from her. 

_"I think you won the first round. But I'm definitely winning this one, hm?"_ He asked. 

Her eyes and pupils were wide. He could feel her blood pump hard and her heart beat fast. Her answer came in 2 words. Well, 2 in French and just as many in English.

It was a whisper, a demand with the last bit of air that her lungs contained. He could barely hear her voice but the movement of her lips and the way that she was eating him with her eyes was enough.

_"Prends-moi."_

_[Take me.]_

He smirked oh so proudly and sank down to her lips, lowering his entire body on her. She felt all of him on all of her. She couldn't hold her moans, he drank them off her very lips, lacing his fingers on hers, pressing her hands on the bed, left and right. 

"Je t'aime." He whispered in her ear. 

"Moi… Moi aussi…" She struggled to get the words out. It was all too much. 

He sat up and stood on his knees, between her legs. She opened her eyes, curious as to why he would stop. Her eyes shrank. 

Where he got that small square plastic packet, she didn't know, but he was holding it between his-oh, he was tearing it open with his pearly white teeth, the most vicious smile on his lips. It burnt her eyes as well as her guts, that sight. But Lord, was it worth it? Absolutely. 

He sank back on her and laced his fingers in hers, leaving an obscene kiss on her lips. When he broke the kiss, it made a loud lapping noise that slapped the very drums in her ears. He went to her ear. 

"Je t'aime." He whispered before looking her in the eyes, his fingers clenching hers dearly. "Are you ready, mon amour?"

She bit her lip and nodded. 

"I've waited far too long." She whispered back. 

He smiled and put his lips on hers again pressing hard as his hips and both their minds slowly rolled into a new universe. Her fingers clenched on his, and she frowned harder. He released her hands and she grasped his back, digging her nails in. He held her close and hugged her strongly.

"L-Lucien…?" 

_I love you, never have I felt that with anyone before. It's so pure…_ She thought.

"Leila…"

_There is, and from now on there will only be, you and only you. I'm yours, Leila._

And as two bodies became one, it felt like they were writing a new chapter of their individual stories. One had the feather to write it, the other, the ink and the first streaks of it stained the white page of their new life as not as two people, but as one couple.

  
 _ **\-- Author's notes --**_  
  
Thanks for reading this! I hope you died in floof ;)

See you!


	39. Chapter 39

The birds chirped outside the room as the first rays of sunlight hit the windows. Thankfully, the dark BLU curtains were drawn such that the sun didn't bother the still sleeping mercenaries.

Leila adjusted herself underneath Lucien's chin and that's what finally woke him up. He took a few seconds to cross the threshold between the dream realm and real life, and when he came to his senses, Lucien smiled to himself. The memories of the previous night rushed to him again. His smile widened. 

His lover was still on his chest and he loved it. His mind rolled back to hours ago… 

They had ended up covered in sweat and breathing loudly and fast. His head was buried in her neck as he felt her legs uncross from behind his back and fall limply on the bed. At the same time, he heard her trying to catch her breath. He smiled. The trembling in her thighs and her digging her nails in his back a few moments before told him that she had enjoyed it as much as he did. 

Lucien laid his entire weight on her and hugged her close, while his breath and his entire body came back to a peaceful state. So far, his heart beat way too fast. 

They stayed in each other's arms for a while, until at least their breaths came back to normal. 

"Mon amour?" Leila was the first one to break the silence. 

Lucien raised his head off her neck and looked at her, question marks in his eyes. 

"Je t'aime." She simply said, a wide smile on her lips.

[I love you.]

He softened. 

"Moi aussi."

[Me too.]

He nuzzled back in her neck to leave a few kisses before whispering:

" _Give me an instant please."_

"Of course." 

And he went off the room. She heard the bathroom door shut in the distance and smiled. When he came back, his hair was wet but he had carded it back. The rebellious front tuft still fell on his eyes. Lucien found her rolled in the bedsheets. 

"Oh…" His surprise escaped his lips. She looked pretty, in a defenseless way, in a way that he wanted to wrap his arms around her and keep her safe. She was looking at him with big round eyes, waiting for him to join her, a gentle smile on her lips. 

Lucien went to the bed and as soon as he laid there, Leila put her head in the hollow space between his shoulder and his neck, and buried her head there. She curled a leg between his and put her hand on his chest. 

_"Tu as froid?"_ He asked. 

_[Are you cold?]_

_"Oui."_

_[Yes.]_

He adjusted the duvet on her back and she hummed in thanks. 

"Leila?"

She raised her head to him and he stared in her eyes for a while. 

"Oui?" She finally said, confused as to why the Frenchman wasn't saying anything. 

He pulled her closer for a goodnight kiss and her face relaxed entirely. 

That's how the had fallen asleep and they were so tired that they didn't even move throughout the night.

The Frenchman sighed until he felt something tickle his neck gently. 

_"Bonjour mon amour."_ She whispered. 

"Oh, you're awake?"

"Mh-hm."

"Good day to you too."

Leila laced her arms around her lover's torso and squeezed him tighter. 

"I'm delighted…" She said. 

"Why?"

"Because now I wake up in your arms everyday." 

He smiled and kissed her head in her hair. 

"I do love that feeling too." 

They lazily stayed in bed for a bit longer, just enjoying each other's company, each other's warmth. He was brushing her curls and she was just lying on him, lightly scratching his skin on his chest under her nails.

Her ears pricked when he started.

{ _To the reader: you might want to listen to "Question de feeling" by Richard Cocciante and Fabienne Thibeault}_

_"Deux étrangers qui se rencontrent_

_[Two strangers who meet]_

_Dans l'ascenseur déjà le désir monte"_

_[In the elevator already, their desire grows.]_

She smiled and appreciated his singing, his voice low to not disturb the silence and her ears too much. But she knew that that particular song was a duet and now was her part to step in, so she did and continued singing for him.

_"Deux étrangers qui se rencontrent,_

_[Two strangers who meet]_

_Stoppant leur course contre la montre,_

_[Stopping their races against the clock,]_

_Seuls tous seuls au bout du monde"_

_[Alone, both alone at the end of the world.]_

He raised an eyebrow. Lucien didn't suspect that she knew that song. He smiled and took up his part of the song. 

_"Seul, là-haut dans cet hôtel de verre,_

_[Alone, high up in that glass hotel,_

_Ça commence comme un fait divers,_

_[It started like a minor news,]_

_Je t'ai offert-"_

_[I offered you-]_

He didn't have to leave his sentence hanging too long, she knew her part. Leila rolled on her stomach and propped herself on her forearms. Lucien looked at her as she took the lead, her head in her hands and her legs raised and crossed under the bed cover. 

_"Un verre._

_[A drink.]_

_J'ai allumé ta cigarette,_

_[I lit your cigarette up,]_

_L'alcool me montait à la tête."_

_[The alcohol was flying up my head.]_

He was biting his lip. How come he could find someone who was completing him that well? She understood him, respected him, as well as she was beautiful, not only physically, but as cliché as it sounded, Lucien now opened his eyes on another kind of beauty. He jumped in the song quickly. He stared at her eyes while adding:

_"Les yeux dans les yeux,"_

_[Eyes in eyes,]_

And she continued.

_"On a ouvert le feu!"_

_[We opened the fire!]_

He smiled and took the lead again. 

_"Mmmh, 'y a trois milliards d'humains sur Terre,_

_[Mmmh, there are three billion humans on Earth,]_

_Et combien de coeurs solitaires?_

_[And how many lonely hearts?]_

_Pourquoi nous deux?"_

_[Why us two?]_

And they concluded together. 

_"Pourquoi nous et pas eux?"_

_[Why us and not them?]_

Lucien chuckled and cupping her face, he brought her closer to kiss her lips. 

"How come you know that song? It's not exactly your generation." He asked. 

"Well, I like my songs like I like my men..." She answered and he raised a curious eyebrow. "Slightly older than me."

He smiled. Never had he been so thrilled to hear that he was old. He didn't take it badly at all, for the first time maybe. 

"But, Lu', we should stop being lazy and get up." 

"You're right." He nodded. "Do you want to go have breakfast with Lawrence?" 

Leila's eyebrows jumped. It was the first time Lucien was calling the marksman by his name. 

"Oh, but I don't want to leave you alone here…"

"I can come too, if that's fine with you."

Her face brightened. 

"I'd love it."

"Perfect. Then let's get up and ready. Go and get the bathroom first." 

"Really? You don't mind?" 

"Non, not at all, ladies first."

"Alright." 

Leila got off the bed and went to get her gown as the morning was quite cold on her naked skin. She turned to put it on and saw the Frenchman devouring her with his eyes, his gaze sliding on her long, thin legs, her stomach, her chest and her face. She smiled and felt the blush. 

"You are gorgeous." He said. "I look at you now and I regret the night is over and we have to go to work."

She raised a malicious eyebrow as she closed her gown and tied it. 

"Oh, what would have happened if we didn't have work to do?"

The Frenchman chuckled and pointed at his knife, still pinning her underwear from the previous night on the wall. 

"There would be a second one." He simply said, reaching for his cigarette case and lighting one of his menthol casually.

" _Oh you little devil…!"_ She said at the door.

He winked at her and she disappeared in a chuckle. 

_\-- Kitchen --_

"Morning Snoop!"

Leila pushed the kitchen door and her friend raised his eyes.

"Oh, Spook! Long time no see!"

Sniper's face brightened up with a smile until the silhouette of the Frenchman showed up behind her.

"Did you really have to bring'im along?" 

The Frenchman smiled at his Australian friend. 

"Good day to you too, _Monsieur Snoop."_

"Yeah, g'day mate." 

Lawrence faked his coldness but deep down, he was just too prude to show that he was happy to have them both with him for breakfast. Leila went to make coffee for the both of them, and against Sniper's expectations, Lucien actually did help her. 

The sharpshooter watched them closely. Their movements completed each other without them having to talk or make a gesture… 

"So, Snoopy, what's new in your life?" 

She put the sugar in her coffee and her lover put a spoon in.

"Bah, not much… Oh, actually yeah there _is_ something new I guess."

"Ah?" Lucien took the mugs and put them on the table.

"An owl crashed on my van last night, pretty badly bruised too."

"Oh, poor bird…" Leila said, sitting on the sharpshooter's right. 

"I guess you are providing help for _her."_ Lucien asked as he sat opposite his lover and they started sipping their coffee.

" _Her?_ It's a _he!"_ The Australian corrected.

"Ah, pardon my French, _quite literally_ , an owl is feminine for us."

"Feminine?" 

"They do have very feminine and beautiful eyes." Lucien said. 

" _Ahem."_ Leila coughed on purpose. 

"Not as much as yours, of course." The Frenchman was quick to add.

Sniper smiled at their banter. 

"So, ready for today's mission?" He asked. 

"Oui, I think it will be fairly simple." Lucien leant back on his seat and lit a cigarette. 

"Don't underestimate anything." Leila answered. 

The Frenchman raised an eyebrow and smirked. He dusted his suit off on his chest as he nonchalantly said:

_"Well, after what you showed me last night, I shall not indeed."_

Leila nearly spat out her coffee and the Australian would have burst out of blush.

"Lucien!" They both said at the same time, one with the French pronunciation, the other with an English twist.

The Frenchman snickered and shook his head, sipping more of his coffee arrogantly. He nonetheless noticed his lover's blush and kept it in mind.

"But you're right, we should not underestimate anything. We don't know what the robots are capable of. Also, we still do have a bit of time before we have to go." Lucien said.

"Yes, indeed."

"What will you do meanwhile?" Lawrence asked. 

"Not sure…" Leila said. "Although I don't want to think about it too much."

"I would suggest some ideas for a distraction but given how you nearly spat your coffee a minute ago, I will keep them to myself." Lucien said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Oh so if she hadn't choked on her coffee, you'd be alroight sayin' those things in front of me?!" Lawrence was indeed surprised.

"Well…" The Frenchman thought about a comeback but kept it to himself. 

_What difference does it make if I tell you before or after we actually do it…?_

"Gentlemen please, keep your discussions between yourselves, I don't need to know of them!" Leila said, still struggling to hide the rush of blood her lover had put her through a moment ago.

"Fair enough, _ma belle."_

[My beauty.]

She hid her blush behind her cup of coffee. 

"So we're not doin' anythin' this mornin'?" 

" _We?"_ The Frenchman repeated. 

"Non… Actually, is it possible to see that owl of yours? I've never seen one from up close." Leila asked. 

"Oh, yeah sure! When you're done with breakfast…" 

_\-- Sniper's van --_

The Australian pushed the door and went in, followed by the couple in suits.

"There it is!" 

He had put the bird in a shoe box, on top of one of his tank tops that he had folded to fit inside. 

"Aaw! He's so very small!"

"That's cause he's still very young…"

The box was on the counter and Leila was hunching her back to have a peek. 

"Oh it's his wing?"

Lucien stayed behind her while Lawrence sat on the sofa.

"Yeah I made him a small cast with whatever I could find."

"He's adorable…! But wait, do you have food for him?" Leila asked.

"Ah, well that's the thing, he's still so young, I can't hunt mice and the like, he wouldn't be able to eat it…" 

"What about kitten food?" Lucien joined the Australian on the sofa. 

"I guess that could do, yeah, that's a great idea actually!" Lawrence answered.

"It's smaller and softer than cat food and if it's still too hard, you can soak it in water." Lucien added and Leila came to sit on his lap.

"Yeah, you aren't too stupid, Spooky-man."

"And it only took you more than a month to find out! Frankly, I don't know who's the least stupid there, Bushman…"

"Gentlemen…!" Leila cut them and they all laughed.

" _Mon amour,_ do you mind leaving us? I'd like to have a chat with the jar-man here for a bit."

Lawrence raised a curious eyebrow. Leila softened when she heard her lover call her _'my love'_ in front of her friend.

"Right, I'll go back home and leave you too have a men-only chat…!"

"Oi, aren't you forgettin' somethin'?"

The Australian stood up and Leila hugged him. The Frenchman smiled and rolled his eyes. When they parted their embrace, Lawrence looked at Lucien and wiggled his eyebrows as if to taunt him. The Frenchman smirked and raised his index as if to say _'watch this.'_ " 

"Leila?" 

"Oui?" 

Lucien extended his hand and like a reflex, she put her hand on his. He pulled her swiftly, lacing his arm around her waist and pushed his lips on hers. 

"Mmh?!" 

Leila tried to protest but those were lips she could hardly resist. Her spine got weak and bent backwards under the Frenchman's eagerness. She felt so surprised that her hands went automatically to grasp his jacket's collar. He pulled her back up slowly and she opened her eyes after him. 

"Lucien…" She was out of the breath that he had taken away from her. 

The Frenchman released her and winked. She shyly put a hand on her mouth and quickly slipped out of the van. 

"What the bloody hell…?" Sniper started. "You show-off…"

Lucien snickered and sat back next to his friend on the couch. 

"Promise me to never do that again in front of me." 

"Are you disgusted?" 

"Yeah, nah, I don't know… It's just weird!"

"Fair enough…!" Lucien took his cigarette case and flipped it open. The Australian took one and grabbed a small plate to serve as an ashtray. He put it between the both of them and Spy lit both cigarettes. 

"So, you wanted to talk with me?" The Australian asked.

"Well, I suppose you want more details." Lucien answered. 

"Details?"

"What I said during coffee about last night…?"

Lawrence tried to rewind the discussions that took place during breakfast until he remembered:

_Well, after what you showed me last night, I shall not indeed._

His eyes shrank again. 

"I see you do remember." 

"Y-yeah… You're very blunt sometimes." 

"Only just to get a reaction out of you or her. Although they're very different, I appreciate both." 

"Whot d'you mean?" 

"You blush and turn red as a tomato and she reacts _very differently_ to my innuendos." 

"How so?" 

"Do you really need me to say it?"

"Well unless I can read yer bloody mind…!"

"How may I phrase this for your prude ears…"

"Oh c'mon, just say it!" 

"Are you certain?"

"Yeah, how weird can it be? How does she react when you make one of those erm… _jokes?"_

"Quite simply…" The Frenchman started. _"It turns her on."_

"Y-it-what now?!" His face would have burst out of blush. 

"Have you not noticed?" Lucien answered nonchalantly. "Even a few minutes ago, after I kissed her…"

"Yeah, she looked like she was on another planet."

"Precisely."

"Precisely what?" 

"Bushman, you _really_ need me to repeat it?"

The Australian raised an eyebrow before the shock of what the Frenchman was meaning hit him. 

"Ya bloody scoundrel…"

"Amongst other things, oui." He proudly answer.

Lawrence chuckled. 

"But you're roight, doesn't tell me why you wanna talk to me."

"You remember last time when I told you we had our first love night?"

The Australian nodded. 

"Well, forget that. Last night was the one. And as much as you were not ready for me to say that, I wasn't ready for what she made for me!"

"Oi! Roight, stop roight there mate, I don't need to know anythin'!"

"Of course you do!"

"Roight, maybe, but please, _please_ I beg ya, don't give me too many details."

"Fine."

"Thanks mate." 

And the Frenchman pondered for a second before resuming his speech. 

"She… She blew my mind."

Lawrence smiled. Again, the Frenchman was looking straight in front of him as if he was seeing it all happen again before his eyes. 

"She was so very gorgeous. She's very careful with the details, I appreciate that. She remembered one of my weaknesses and she pushed my buttons in the most exquisite manner. Non, I thought I had seen all of her, but she had a good surprise lying in store for me. Bushman?"

"Hm?"

"I think back about myself before I met her. And now I don't know how I lived."

Lawrence nodded slowly and shook his cigarette on the ashtray. The cinders fell in it.

"Sometimes I wonder, how would I wake up tomorrow if I knew that I wouldn't find her next to me?"

"And?"

"And the answer is that I would never want to wake up without her. I would have no reason to get out of bed, no reason to have breakfast, no nothing… Ha, I feel things with her that I never or barely experienced before."

"Like what?"

"I used to feel physical attraction, yes, that was quite easy to spot. But never have I felt this new and strange kind of attraction. I want her near me at all times, I want to see her, I want to feel her presence and touch her. Even right now, I know _I_ 'm the one who asked her to leave but my mind is constantly on her."

Lawrence puffed on his cigarette. 

"What is she doing? Is she alright? Does she have all she needs and wants? It's… It's very peculiar. In the great number of romantic conquests I have had, never have I felt so…"

"Involved." 

Lucien looked at his friend. 

"I think you are right. I feel _involved_ in something bigger than myself only. Very unusual…"

"Very unusual that a bastard like you doesn't think only about himself? Yeah, very weird." 

Both chuckled. 

"Behind your sarcasm, there might be some truth. Maybe it is actually the first time that I put someone else than me in my head."

"And in yer heart." 

"And everywhere else in fact. Non, the more I think about it, the more I see that you are indeed right. Although…"

"Hm?"

"Isn't it odd?"

"Whot?"

"She changed me completely, inside and out, in a few weeks or months. My personality that I've been dragging with me across my entire lifespan and she just came and flipped it."

"Nah, you're wrong."

"Am I?"

"Yeah, I doubt the baby that you were was arrogant and selfish like you are. Nah, she didn't change you more than you changed yourself through the years. She just changed you in a way that you didn't plan on yourself. But…!" The Australian raised his index. "You _did_ agree to it. She never forced you to change. You went along with it, you know why?" 

The Frenchman shook his head. 

"Could be for lots of reasons, but the first one is because you love her. And I don't mean you love her as in you wanna get her in a bed and… er… well… y'know?"

Lucien nodded. 

"Nah, you _really do_ love her, it's not a physical impulse that you want out of the way. It's something inside you that tells you that maybe she's the right one to build somethin' with."

The Frenchman had been silently listening, only nodding from time to time to show that he was still following his friend. 

"There is a lot of truth in what you say Bushman, you're definitely less stupid than I thought!" 

"Oi!"

"I'm making you a compliment!"

"What kind of shit compliment is that? _'you're less stupid than I thought' ?!_ Well, you're less of a backstabbin' idiot than I thought too!"

The Frenchman laughed and Lawrence soon followed. 

"Non, seriously, thank you. You are a dear friend, Lawrence." 

"Well yeah I am! I practically put you two together!"

"Ah non! Don't exaggerate! You weren't the one to take her out for dinner!"

"Well I did just that and before you, ya mongrel!"

"You filthy jar-man! You might have but you weren't the one to kiss the soul out of her before she left your ridiculous van!"

"Of course not, ya piker!"

The banter continued until the hour for lunch arrived. Both mercenaries enjoyed their discussions a lot and held their time together dearly. The Frenchman discovered that Lawrence was in fact very gifted when it came to understand him. And on the other hand, the Australian found out that Lucien thought much more about his feelings that what he let out. He was glad that the Frenchman chose _him_ to confide what he thought, even though it wasn't everything. It proved that they trusted each other quite deeply. 

"One last thing Bushman?"

"Yeah?"

"This afternoon, when we get to work, please keep a close eye on her."

"I thought you didn't need me to do that!" 

"Of course I don't. But still."

"Roight, I will."

  
 _ **\-- Author's notes --**_  
  
  
Thanks for reading!   
  
  
Let me know what you thought in the comments :)

See you :)


	40. Chapter 40

"Can you all hear us?"

Both spies were cloaked and walking towards the RED base, leaving their colleagues where they were supposed to wait, in case things turned bad.

"Yeah Spook, we can hear you and I can just about see both yer silhouettes through my scope."

"Good. Let us proceed." Lucien asserted and took the lead on things. Leila followed him closely. They both walked close to the building walls, their ears pricked up. 

Suddenly the Frenchman stopped and raised his index. Leila bent forward to see better and indeed they could see the silhouettes of the robots. 

"Right, we need to get information on them and bring back one, in the best state possible." He said. "Are you ready?"

"Oui." 

He nodded and walked forward. The metallic noise of the robots walking could be heard from where they were now. They softened their footsteps and entered the building. 

"I've lost sight of you." Sniper said. 

"Yes, we're in a building." 

"Careful, I can see snipers on the rooftops and patrols on the ground."

"Alright."

The spies walked behind a couple of crates.

"Let's split up and reconvene in 10." Leila suggested. 

"Non, I'm not leaving you alone."

"You're not, don't worry, I'll talk to you through your ear." 

"If you stop talking for long, I'll come and get you."

"Alright, Mister I-worry-too-much…!" She playfully said. 

" _Non, je ne m'inquiète pas trop, mais je tiens beaucoup à toi."_

_[No, I don't worry too much, but you're very precious to me.]_

Lucien had answered in French such that Leila would be the only one to understand…. Forgetting that the Australian could get it too. Lawrence smiled and moved on the map. 

"Thank you." She prudely answered. "Let's go and get back here in 10. I can take this building, go and do the opposite one."

Lucien nodded and they parted. 

The Frenchman crossed from one building to the other easily. He walked in and carefully avoided the patrols. They were always in groups of two or three. He stayed here and there, trying to listen in but not much was exchanged between the robots. 

On her side of things, Leila got a bit more lucky. She managed to cross the entire building and exited it from behind. No enemy seemed to have noticed her and she did take her time to watch the robots from up close. Her eyes darted everywhere, trying to register and remember as many details as possible.

She closed the exit door and turned. 

_"Mon Dieu…"_

Her jaw dropped. She was facing something much bigger that her mind could take. 

She slipped back inside the building and went back to where her way parted from her counterpart. 

"Ah, finally, I was starting to get worried!" Lucien said. 

"Oh I'm barely late!" Leila answered. 

_"Peut-être, mais une minute sans toi, c'est déjà trop."_

_[Maybe, but one minute without you is already too much.]_

The Australian rolled his eyes in the distance and smiled.

"So, what did you find?" Leila asked. 

"Not much I'm afraid. Those robots are not as chatty as I would have thought them to be. I mean, nothing apart from the obvious, which is that now, the robots sizes have been corrected. They _are_ our spitting images."

"Which only means one thing…" Leila continued. "Whatever their robots want, they do have your team members or they did have a very close look at them." 

Lucien nodded. His thoughts went to his son and he bit his lip, lowering his head. 

"Hey?" Leila put her hand on his shoulder. "I said I will help, so I will. Wherever they are, we _will_ find them." 

The Frenchman faintly smiled.

"Merci. What did you find?" He asked. 

"You will need to follow me to see, I can't describe it."

"Oh…"

"Stay close to me. I haven't alerted them on my presence and we need them to not know that we're here for what I'll show you." 

"I'm right behind you." 

Leila nodded and led the way, her lover right on her heels. Again, he recognised her style as being very much Marc's and his own. It was very flattering for his ego of course but it also touched him, in a bittersweet way. Each time she would make a move, signal him something, ask him to stop or move, he would see his own younger self and Marc. It was about the only person he could work with. Back when he was still in service, he absolutely abhorred the idea of working in a duet, let alone a team. But there he was, following an ally in the middle of enemy territory; even more strange, he was trusting her with his life. 

Leila stopped in front of a door and turned to face him. She raised her index and her eyebrows as if to ask:

_Are you ready?_

Lucien nodded. She opened that exit door and both stepped outside. 

"Mon Dieu…"

"I think I've found their base." 

Both mercenaries were standing facing a gigantic blue vessel of some sort. It was heavily guarded by a large number of robots. 

"That is where they come from then, hm?" Lucien asked. 

"I think so." 

"Excellent. A shame we don't know enough to infiltrate them now… But that's excellent. Let's wait around and see what happens." 

"Alright." 

Lucien looked around. He saw a crate against the wall. It read _"Ammunition"._ He tried to move it but it was way too heavy. 

_Bien._

He sat on it and motioned Leila to come sit on his lap, which she promptly did. He opened his thighs and she sat in between them, pushing herself back so that she could lean her back on her lover's chest. Lucien did not complain, far from it. He lazily laced his arms around her waist and rested his head against hers. Leila could almost feel his short beard stinging her even through their masks.

"What do you think they're doing in there?" She asked.

"I have no idea. But one could think that that's where they keep my team, maybe even Miss Pauling and the Administrator."

"Yeah, it's true. But what is their point? Why keep them and make copies of us in such a large scale?" 

_"J'ai ma petite idée…"_ The Frenchman said.

[I might have an idea why…]

_"Dis-moi?"_

_[Tell me?]_

"If they are _making_ mercenaries, that means that they, whoever they are, can't find them anywhere else, non?" He started.

"Yes, I suppose so…" Leila said. "But there are countless people you could find like us, non? Retired soldiers or former military people?"

Robots came and went to and from the vessel.

"Ah, but that is the true question, _ma belle._ Indeed we are not alone in that category of people who stopped their careers. But somehow they didn't hire any of them."

"They didn't hire them or maybe the people didn't want to get hired by them." 

"Very good point, let's not assume anything. But whoever is leading all this thought that they would be better off _making_ their own mercenaries."

"And they thought about copying you guys, the RED." Leila added.

"Oui, although the colour does not matter much I think. It could have been your people. Look where we are…"

"Exactly in the middle of the map between your base and ours."

"Indeed, which means that they just caught whoever crossed them first, and it happened to be us…. Well, us minus me." Lucien said.

_"Je suis ravie qu'ils ne t'aient pas attrapé."_

_[I'm glad they didn't catch you.]_

_"Moi aussi."_

_[Me too.]_

Lucien laced his fingers on Leila's stomach and she put her gloved hands on top of his, their eyes still riveted on the vessel.

"L-Spy?" Leila said, almost forgetting about the earpiece. 

"Oui?" 

"If they're making copies of us, wouldn't it make sense that they would use those robots for the same purpose as ours?"

"For a company that wants to test the weapons it produces?" Lucien asked.

"We both know that there's more to Mann Co. than that."

The Frenchman didn't answer, which was an affirmative answer in itself. 

"So you think that they are readying up to…?"

"Oui." She said, reading his thoughts. "That's the only reason that this whole endeavour with robots would make sense for. Otherwise, it wouldn't be worth mass producing soldiers like that."

"I guess you are correct. Oh, look…!"

Both watched as the robots changed patrols and it was all carefully orchestrated, like clockwork. Some robots went in the vessel and some other ones exited and took their places. 

"It's 5pm sharp. They switch turns at 5pm…" Lucien whispered in Leila's ear and she was too absorbed by what was happening to answer anything. 

He looked at her for an instant and he saw her keen eyes on the scenery, carving every detail as best she could in her memory. Marc had really trained her well… 

It didn't take more than a few minutes and it was done, the robots were back to strolling around. 

"But why do you think they are patrolling? I mean, why are they occupying the map?" Leila asked.

"If they really are after making copies of us all, then _someone_ is missing." Lucien answered, meaning that he _himself_ was missing. 

"And they shall not lay a finger on him." She answered decidedly, while jumping off the crate. "I think we've seen enough, shall we go back?" 

She was extending her hand for him. He jumped down and took it. 

"I think you are right, let us go back to the base. But we need to get one of the robots with us."

She lead the way and he followed, only coming in front of her to open the door for her. 

"Although I'm afraid we will have to take two. We won't manage to break a patrol unit and just take one…" The Frenchman said as Leila passed through the door, her perfume washing him from the inside. 

"Is that a problem?" She asked with an eyebrow raised up. 

"Not for us, I believe." He winked at her and even if both were cloaked, she could see it and he could see her blush.

"So, what's the plan?"

"First we need to find a patrol with only two robots."

"Right."

They walked back towards where they came from. 

"I think we-mh!"

Lucien quickly put his hand on her mouth and wrapped an arm around her, like he did the first time they met, only this time, he didn't threaten her with his knife. She was about to protest when two robots passed right in front of them. 

Leila felt everything again… His perfume, his heartbeat against her back, all of him against all of her. She could admit it now, she had melted a bit between those strong arms lacing her. The only thing she hadn't liked about it was the sharp blade against her throat. But it was very different now. Now he was holding her not only to make sure she wouldn't betray their hiding but also because… well… 

Lucien loved it too. The contact of her body against his, the heat of the moment, hidden in plain sight, his cheek against her ear, breathing her perfume in. He remembered it now. She had been wearing a male perfume when they first met. But now she had switched for her female one and he was addicted to that smell. It wasn't one of those sweet, almost sugary perfumes, non. It was one that said that she was a lady, yes, but also a force to be reckoned with, a strong character in a body as delicious as the sight of it was. 

The robots passed by and he murmured in her ear. 

"Take the right one, I take the left one." 

She nodded in his hand and he released her. Both took their blades out and flicked them elegantly. His had a dark blue handle, hers, a deep emerald green. It caught his eye for an split second but he didn't dwell on it too much. 

_Cling!_

The robots fell swiftly and both retrieved their blades from their backs. 

"Can you carry one?"

"I'll take this Scout, he seems lighter." 

"Fine, I'll take the Pyro."

Each put a robot on their shoulder and walked back towards the improvised base where all their colleagues were waiting. 

"Ah, you're back!"

"Yes, and we got you some gifts, Engineer!" Leila said. 

"Let me carry." Heavy said and took both metal carcasses, one on each shoulders. 

"Argh! It got oil on my suit!" Lucien exclaimed and he turned to face Leila. "On yours too!"

On their shoulders and their backs, a trail of dark oil had been absorbed by their jackets and they could just about feel it on their shirts too.

"Aargh, that's a pain to clean…!" She answered. 

"I can give you a couple of tricks to get those nasty stains away." Engineer answered.

"Thank you."

"Most appreciated."

"Good to have you back privates!" Soldier said. 

"Aye, now I need a drink…" Demo answered.

All the mercenaries went back to the base together. 

"Wait," Leila said to Lucien. "Where is Sniper?"

The Frenchman looked around and out of a corner emerged the tall man, out of breath. 

"Snoop! Are you alright?" Leila asked. 

"Ooh! Ah, uh… Let me catch me breath… Let's go… I'll tell ya…"

The three last mercenaries walked back to the base and went straight to the Spies' room.

_\-- Spies' room --_

"So, why are you out of breath?"

"Because I was trying to always have you in my scope! You made me run left and right through the map… And I did follow you from far away up until when you got behind that building. Obviously I lost ya there."

Leila put a tray with some glasses of fruit juice on the coffee table in front of Lawrence who sat on the sofa.

"Go and get a change, Lu', I'll go after you."

"Non, ladies first, please." He said as he removed his jacket and undid his tie. 

"Alright, thanks, I'll be quick ok?" 

Sniper watched them both.

_"Viens ici."_ The Frenchman said and Leila obliged. He left a quick peck on her lips and she blushed.

_[Come here.]_

"Take your time, mon amour." He added before she disappeared beyond the bathroom door. 

Lucien sat on the armchair.

"You can't help it, can ya?" The Australian asked, while handing one glass to his friend. The Frenchman took it and sat on the edge of the armchair, paying attention to not stick his oil-stained back against it. 

"Can't help what?" He asked, taking a sip of the refreshing beverage. 

"Y'know what? It's really nice."

"This juice? Oui, indeed."

"Nah, not that, ya mongrel! I meant you bein'... Y'know… Really close to Leila." 

"Oh?"

"She looks really happy." Lawrence added. 

"I do my best." The Frenchman answered. He took his cigarette case and flipped it open, extending his arm towards his friend. The Australian helped himself to one and nodded in thanks. Lucien lit both and blew the smoke away elegantly. 

"As much as I try to make her the happiest possible, she does the same to me. Sometimes, she doesn't even realise it, it's the way she looks at something, the way her eyelashes fall on her eyes, her silhouette, her gait that she lets be more feminine now. Lawrence, the way she does anything has such poetry to it. When she walks, her feet hover above the ground, her long legs brush the air like vapour…"

Lucien was frowning, looking straight in front of him as if he could see it all happen. He bit his lip. 

"Never have I seen such grace and harmony in a woman… And that's only when she doesn't make it on purpose! _Mon Dieu_ , when she come to me, her gown flowing behind her, her perfume floating in the air, whirling around me… When she wraps her thin arms around me, her fingers… I-I should probably stop here before I go too far for your prude ears mon ami!"

Both Lawrence and Lucien chuckled. 

"Nah, to be honest, I'm glad fer you too. You seem like you didn't have a peaceful life, eh?"

"Not really. But I guess none of us did."

"'s true."

Leila's head peeked out of the bathroom door. 

"Lu'? You can come!"

"Oh, Lawrence, if you'll excuse me." Lucien crushed his cigarette end on the ashtray on the coffee table. The Australian nodded and waited for Leila to come. 

The Frenchman slipped in the bathroom and saw Leila buttoning up her shirt. He removed his own shirt and threw it away. She raised her eyes to him while his went to her chest. 

_"Quel dommage que tu fermes ta chemise…"_

_[Such a shame that you have to close your shirt…]_

_"Et quel dommage que tu aies retiré la tienne mais je ne peux pas en profiter."_

_[And such a shame that you removed yours and I can't take advantage of it.]_

They exchanged a conniving smile before she pushed herself on the tip of her toes and put her lips on his. She wanted to withdraw but he put his hand on her neck, pulling her to stay there. She melted under his hand and under his kiss. When he withdrew, she slowly opened her eyes and looked up, her eyebrows arched high. 

"Je t'aime." She said. 

[I love you.]

"Je suis fou de toi." He answered.

[I am mad about you.]

She slipped out of the bathroom, putting her mask again. 

"Leila?"

She stopped sharp. 

"Oui?"

"Can you bring me a clean shirt, please?" 

"Of course, give me a second." 

"Merci."

Leila brought some clothes for her lover and went to sit next to her friend on the sofa. 

"You smoke?" She asked. 

"Occasionally, yeah." 

"Don't pick that bad habit from Lu', I should ask him to try and stop it."

"Why haven't you done it?" The Australian asked. 

"Well…" Leila tilted her head left and right. "It's… I mean…"

"Oh God, ya find it sexy…" The tall man facepalmed. 

Leila chuckled. 

"I mean… Ahem…"

"The mere fact that you're not contradictin' me is enough. But eh, fair, who am I to judge…?" 

"You're my best friend, that's what you are." 

"Yeah, apparently, yeah!" He chuckled. 

"Apparently?! Hey! What does that mean?!"

"It means I've never been someone's best friend before…" 

She looked at him and gave a radiant smile. She grabbed his arm and leant on him. 

"You're the best, Lawrence. Please, never change." She squeezed his arm and he leant his head on hers. 

"Don't worry, I'm too old and lazy fer that."

"Hands off, Bushman!" Lucien exclaimed as he entered. 

"Well, too late mate! She's mine now!" The Australian joked. 

The Frenchman sat at Leila's left, she was thus sandwiched between both men.

"Calm down gentlemen, I love you both!"

"Ha!" Lawrence exclaimed, mocking the Frenchman.

"Very differently though!"

"Ha!" Lucien exclaimed, mocking the Australian in his turn. 

"I love _you_ like the brother I've never had, " She turned to Lawrence and then to Lucien, "and _you_ , like the lover I couldn't even dream of having… Non, I don't know what I did to deserve you both but I'm grateful."

"I like you too, Leila, and somehow, since I know you I can kinda bear that other bloke." Lawrence said arrogantly.

_"That other bloke?!"_ The Frenchman asked. " _That other-_ screw you, Bushman!"

"Do it yerself, ya coward!" 

Lucien turned red as a tomato and Leila burst out laughing. 

"Bushman!" 

"What?! I can always try my luck, can't I?"

The Frenchman rolled his eyes.

"Aw, look what you did Lawrence, he's now all red in the face…" Leila cupped her lover's face in her hands while the Frenchman looked away, trying to hide his blush. But his lover's hand pulled his face and she put her lips on his. Lucien melted and his hand went to her thigh, brushing it slowly. 

"Ahem!" Lawrence coughed comically loud. 

"Sorry, Lawrence, but look at him, how could I resist him?" Leila said, looking at her friend. The Frenchman took opportunity of the fact that she wasn't looking at him to stick his tongue out mockingly towards the Australian. 

"Ya…" The marksman smiled and sighed. "Fine, you win this time, Lucien…" He stood up. "I'll leave you guys, I'm 'fraid I need to tend to my baby owl." 

"Oh by the way…" Lucien stood up and went to the kitchen space. "Here is the kitten food. I've got an extra pack of it so you may have it." 

"Oh, thanks a lot." 

The pack of food went from gloved hands to naked ones. 

"You sure you don't want to stay more?" Leila asked. 

"Nah, I really need to go and see him, Leila."

"Alright then…" They all walked in direction of the door. "Thank you Lawrence."

"Pleasure mates, I'll see ya later." 

"See you!"

As soon as the door shut, Leila turned and raised her eyes to her lover. 

"Are you alright?" His eyes were shining sweetly. 

"I could hardly be better." He answered as he put his hands on her hips. 

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading! 

Let me know your thoughts about this in the comment!


	41. Chapter 41

Both spies were on their bed. Lucien was sitting against the wall with his legs open and Leila was sitting in between them, drawing on her sketchbook while leaning against him.

"Have you drawn anything new since last time?" 

"Oui, but I don't want to show you just now." 

"Fine. I will read my magazine then." He kissed her head and his eyes went to his magazine. 

Leila loved the fact that she could draw in front of him and he would be respectful enough that he wouldn't look over her shoulder. She was absorbed in her drawing until she felt something caress her shoulders and her arms. 

"Your blade…" He started. 

"Hm?"

"The handle is quite peculiar."

"Oh, you noticed? It was a gift from Marc, before I left. It was the last thing he did before I turned my back and walked out of the Ministry for the last time." She answered. 

"Ah, do you know why he gave it to you?" 

"Yes, as a goodbye gift." 

"Non."

"Huh?"

"Leila…" 

"What?"

She lowered the sketchbook and turned to him, sitting on her knees. 

"What do you mean?" She asked. 

"Mon amour, you have the most piercing eyes I have ever seen and yet you can be so blind…" He put the back of his knuckles against her cheek and brushed it slowly. His lips slowly pursed in a smile and his eyelids fell on his eyes, but not completely.

"What…?" She asked, her eyes going more round. 

"He loves you." 

"What?!" Her eyes snapped wide and her breath stopped. "Non, not him! He was my teacher, my instructor!"

"And yet..."

"How do you know?" 

"The reason why he didn't ask me where you were when I called him, but rather _how_ you were, is because he loves you. He puts your protection first and foremost. He didn't want to know where you were, he didn't want to get you back, he simply asked about your health and if you were happy in your life. I didn't think of it at first, but now it makes sense."

"Wait, wait, you're saying that he _loves_ me, not that he _loved_ me… Does that mean he still…?"

"In a way, oui. He loves you not like I do, don't misunderstand it. He loves you like the first girl he raised, his first daughter in spirit, if you will."

"Mon Dieu…" Leila put a hand on her mouth. 

"Come on, you know Marc, he doesn't treat his other students that way. It was only you, and has always been so."

Leila was speechless. 

"I'm surprised that you didn't realise it."

"How could I? I-I just got along very nicely with him."

"He told me about it."

"What did he say?" She asked eagerly. 

"He asked me to keep an eye on you and make sure you're safe. I remember his words…

_'Fais attention à elle comme si c'était ma propre fille.'_

_[Be careful for her as if she was my own daughter.]_ "

Leila's sketchbook slid out of her hand and Lucien took her hands in his. 

"He then told me about you at lengths, which is why I joined your team in the middle of lunch, late on the schedule. He only had words of praise for you. I think he met you at a critical time for himself. You were one of his first students, and his first ever female one. He believed in you a lot and shielded you from his own superiors, some of which were adamantly against having a single woman in our special forces."

"H-he did what?" The words came out in a whisper and her eyes were glistening. 

"Some people didn't want you to succeed and they tried very hard to make you and the other women fail. But Marc stood in between you and them. He nearly got fired multiple times, ha! That's my friend Marc, ready to do whatever it takes to be as fair as possible. And he says it to this day, you are _as rare as a diamond on the Moon."_

Leila leant forward and put her head beneath the Frenchman's chin. She was breathing fast and hard. 

"To this day, he sees you like the first daughter he raised, but of course, he can't say that to anyone, _but me._ "

"I-I'm speechless…" 

"Oh but that's not all." 

She raised her head and looked at him. 

"Give me an instant." Lucien got off the bed, leaving a kiss on his lover's head and went to his suitcase that was collecting dust at the top of the wardrobe. 

With two swift clicks, he opened it and rummaged in it. 

"Ah! There is it." He took something that seemed like a piece of paper and came back to the bed. He sat down opposite Leila on the bed and handed her what she now realised was a photograph. 

"Non…?"

[No…?]

Swear words escaped her mouth before she could say anything else and she burst out crying. The Frenchman laced his arms around her and hugged her to safety, pulling her head on his chest. He felt her breath go syncopated between his arms.

_"Non… Non… Non… C'est pas vrai… Ce n'est pas possible…"_

_[No… No… No… It's not true… It can't be possible…]_

She spoke between her cries and her sniffs, her voice was broken and she dropped the picture, grasped Lucien's dressing gown between her hands and pulled them to herself. She was crying against his chest, drenching her soul.

_"Mon Dieu… Lucien… Pourquoi…? Pourquoi tu ne m'as pas dit plus tôt…? Comment…?"_

_[My God… Lucien… Why…? Why did you not tell me earlier…? How…?]_

"Mon amour?" Lucien said but the only answer he got was a sniff. 

"You can be proud of yourself." He said, kissing her hair. " _I am extremely proud_."

She caught her breath with difficulty.

"Marc pushed for… Your portrait, It's next to mine on _the wall_ , at the ministry."

She burst out in sobs again as the the picture she had dropped came back to her like a flash. It showed the wall at the Ministry, that wall where she saw Lucien first, the wall where she met him. Her portrait was now next to his. 

"He didn't push for your portrait to be there. He pushed for it to be next to mine."

"W-why?" She asked. 

"Because I had him on the phone again and… And he told me about it. That's when I asked him to put yours next to mine."

"So… So he knows about us?" 

"I didn't tell him, but he knows me better than my own mother, so yes, he does."

Her tears were happy ones, proud bittersweet waters that her mind couldn't hold back. She thought back about how she met Marc, how hard he worked with her, staying even late at night sometimes, shouting at her, pushing her to her limits…! 

She sniffed and tried to calm her breath, unsticking herself from her lover's chest. 

"Give me a moment…" She said and exited the room. 

Lucien heard the bathroom door shut in the distance. He took the picture that was lying on the bed and looked at it. 

_Merci Marc._

He thought.

Leila came back with a box of tissues and dropped herself on the bed. 

"I wanted to wait for the right moment to tell you about it. Please don't think I was hiding it from you on purpose." Lucien said.

"Non, I don't, don't worry." 

Lucien sat back on the bed where he was and Leila sat between his legs, leaning her back on his chest again. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on hers. 

"Merci." He said, hugging her tenderly.

"What for?"

"For trusting me. I kept that picture for the right moment and you don't doubt my word."

"Non, I don't." 

"How come?" He asked.

"Because I don't lie when I say that I love you truly, and that means that I wouldn't hold anything from you. But I understand that your career was quite longer than mine and habits are hard to kick away. So out of… well… _love_ really, I forgive you and I don't hold it against you." 

Lucien felt his eyes burn with the tears _he_ was now holding back. 

"I don't deserve you." He answered. 

"Yes you do, we're both extremely awkward and need to learn how to love truly. I am ready to learn with you if you're ready to learn with me." 

"Of course, there is no questioning that. I love you way beyond what words could describe." 

"In that case…" She said and grabbed her sketchbook again. "I need to tell you the truth about my latest drawings." 

She adjusted herself to sit comfortably against him and he bent forward to put his head against hers, cheek against cheek. 

"Here are my past sketches but please, d-don't be mad and don't mock me…" 

Leila opened the sketchbook and flipped the pages little by little. Lucien recognised the first few ones. Leila stopped at the first new one. 

"Oh…" The Frenchman looked at it keenly. 

The double page was filled with himself, not wearing much… an open shirt here, only boxer shorts there...

"I want the image of your natural self to be somewhere that I can come back to… Remember the other day when I asked you to describe yourself in front of the mirror?" She asked.

He nodded against her cheek.

"Well, this is what you look like. You are gorgeous, your body is absolute perfection to me." She answered in one go. "The proportions are perfect, you're tall and lean, which is a kind of body I've always had a weakness for."

She flipped the page and the Frenchman remained silent, examining the drawings with attention. This time, it was his head and hair that was sketched in multiple ways.

"I-I just love your hair so much that I found myself drawing it in different situations. Here is what it looks like when you arrange it. And here it's when I slide my fingers through it… And the white locks… I love them, they make you look so elegant." 

She flipped the page again. He silently raised an eyebrow.

"Uhm… Yes, that's more of you... but notice how different the poses are. They-they aren't perfect, I know, it's hard without a proper model, but here is what I could get. You lying on your side, sitting on the sofa, one leg on the other…"

This time the Frenchman wore absolutely nothing. He smiled. She flipped the page and his smile widened.

"Yes, it-it's not much but I…" 

Leila couldn't quite get the words out. 

"Tell me." He whispered in her ear, his deep voice making her whole ribcage tremble. 

"I just can't get you out of my head. I love you so much… Sometimes, when you go and see Lawrence, I just think of you and I want to see you again, to feel you next to me. I've rarely felt that before. Pfff, it's ridiculous. I used to be very independent and hate the idea of belonging to someone and look at me now…"

"Non." He murmured and pushed the pane of her gown on her left shoulder to fall, revealing her skin. She shivered under the relative cold sensation and Lucien let a finger run along her arm and forearm. He noticed the goosebumps. "Leila, you are the light in my grim life. My mind is on you constantly. I-I love that you draw me like this."

"You don't find it weird?" She asked. 

"Non, of course not…." His hands went to untie her gown and his lips went to her neck. "It's extremely flattering for me to be such a model for you and it's… _exciting."_

He let his lips explore her neck, from behind, and his hands slipped underneath her tanktop, on her stomach. He brushed her skin slowly and she shivered. 

"Y-you're really not angry at me?" She asked. 

"How could I? Non, Leila…" He nibbled at her neck softly and his hands slid further up on her torso. "Thank you…" He whispered in her ear. 

She was trying to breathe normally despite her lover's touch everywhere. 

"Thank _me?_ What for?" 

She pushed the Frenchman's hands away turned to face him. Lucien felt his heart sink to his feet. He was in the mood for more but if she wasn't, he would never force her. He took a deep breath and sighed. 

"Thank you for trusting me enough that you show me your drawings. They reveal a lot about you."

"Do they?" 

"Oui, may I?" He extended his hand and she put the sketchbook in it. He flipped the pages. "Look at my facial expressions everywhere." 

"Hm?" 

"I look like… Well, I look like I am greatly satisfied with my life. Look at this smile, the eyes!" He flipped the pages and pointed at multiple sketches. "You like my smirk a lot…! I look like those men who model for perfume advertisements." 

Lucien's fingers scanned the pages again and went one page further. 

"Oh…" He stared and Leila diverted her gaze from him. "I'm sorry, you probably didn't show me those for a reason." 

The Frenchman was drawn naked again, lying on a sofa, his hands behind his head, there he was sitting on an armchair, his elbows on the armrests and curling a finger towards whoever was looking at him, a malicious smirk on his lips. There was another sketch of him standing up, leaning on a doorframe, his arms crossed and his hair falling on his face. All the drawings had one common point: the eagerness of the Frenchman showed _between his legs…_

"Is this how you see me?" He asked. 

"I-I mean not always, I know you're not _just_ that… It's just… Argh… I don't know how to say." She was infinitely embarrassed. 

Lucien put the sketchbook away and took her chin between his thin fingers, pulling it such that she faced him. Her eyes were nonetheless low. 

"Let me tell you then." He said. "You have drawn me in the miracle that you have managed to produce, and multiple times at that."

She blushed. 

"I am flattered that you like drawing me that way but next time you do…" He started and she raised her eyes. "Don't be scared to ask me to contribute." 

She raised an eyebrow. Leila wasn't sure she was understanding. 

"Oui, I would be delighted to take the pose for you, if you need me to." 

Her lips parted and he smiled, putting her gown on her shoulder again, to cover it back. 

"Mon amour, when I say that I am flattered you should draw me like this, I mean it. How come you see me, the _old_ me, and think that you want to draw me _in Adam's costume_? Do you see me that handsome that you want to catch that image and make it immortal on paper?"

Her eyes went down again and she nodded shyly. 

"Leila…" Lucien chuckled slowly and from the bottom of his throat. She turned her face away from his, she was dying of embarrassment. "If I knew how to draw like you, I wouldn't stop drawing you." 

She raised her eyes but not to his, she looked at his lips.

"And before you wonder, yes, I would cover pages and pages with your magnificent body and face, as naked as I can draw them to be."

She smiled out of the heat she felt in her cheeks and ears. Without a word, she sat back between the Frenchman's legs, her back on his chest. 

" _Merci, mon amour."_

[Thanks, my love.]

"De rien." He whispered in her ear.

[You're welcome.]

He felt her snuggle against him closer and smiled. 

"Am I crushing you?" She asked. 

"Non, not at all."

She took the sketchbook in her hand again. 

"So you like when I draw you…. _In that state?"_ She asked.

"Oui, I do." 

"What about this then?"

She flipped the pages further and…

"Oh, wow…" The Frenchman hadn't expected a page of _them both_ in _Adam and Eve's costumes_. "You drew us in the middle of…?" 

"Oui," She simply answered. "That night where I lost a pair of tights and and a pair of underwear, you remember it?" 

"How could I forget?" He answered. 

"I loved it." Leila said, leaning her head back against his shoulder, her eyes closing. 

"I have one regret about it." Upon hearing her lover say it, Leila's eyes snapped opened. 

"What is it?"

"Only that it had to end." Lucien said. 

Leila smiled and closed her eyes back. 

"We can do it again." She suggested. 

"Only if you want to."

"You are asking me if I want to spend a torrid night with the most handsome man I know?" She asked. "Seriously?"

"Leila, I just don't want to force you if you don't feel like it." His answer was serious. "I want you to desire it as much as I do, if we're going to do it."

"Lucien…" She raised a hand and stuck it on his cheek, brushing it slowly. He closed his eyes to fully appreciate the touch of her delicate fingers on his skin and stubble. 

"Oui?" 

"What would you have done if the night hadn't finished?" 

His eyes snapped open. 

"I won't tell you, but rest assured that there will be a day where I will savour you the way I want."

_"Savour me?"_ She repeated and grinned. "I like the idea…"

"Do you?" 

He felt her hand go over his ear and in his hair. 

"Mh-hm, I really do." 

Her hand went behind his head and pulled it such that his lips touched her ear. He nibbled at it softly and she sighed with a smile. 

"And what about you, Leila? Are there things you would have liked to do, had the night been longer?" 

His hands went back to her sides and slipped under the tanktop, on her naked skin. 

"Ooh oui… There are still a lot of things I want to know about you, _Monsieur_ , a lot of places to explore and a lot of sensations to get from you…"

" _Places to explore?"_ He repeated and his hands shifted higher up from her stomach to her chest. She bit her lip to stop herself from moaning. "Pray wander and explore me as your wish dictates, there are no barriers or frontiers, _I'm entirely and only yours._ " 

He was massaging her chest with hands that she felt were very skilled at it. It didn't hurt at all and it was delightfully slow. Lucien was a man of passion and patience, he knew how to enjoy himself and he knew very well that to appreciate it fully, he had better not rush. He pulled her closer to himself, his lips on her neck, leaving trails of soft kisses. Leila's hands went down on his thighs left and right and brushed them equally slowly, in rhythm with his own. 

"Then I must tell you the same, Lucien. Please feel free to _savour me_ the way that your heart desires. I wouldn't want anything else but your satisfaction. So pray let your hands and your entire body run free on me."

She slipped her hands in his trousers and brushed his inner thighs on his bear skin. 

_"Aah…"_

His lips parted from her shoulder to frown under the powerful hot punch in his guts that he felt as her fingers closed on what he had between his legs. He took some fresh air and pulled her more strongly to himself. He smiled. 

"Lucien?"

"Mh?" 

Her back was stuck on his chest and abdomen. 

"Is it a blade that you…?" She started asking but he cut her. 

" _Oui et non._ It is a kind of very special blade that I imagine you must feel behind your back now, the one I am proud to say I manoeuver best."

She blushed and smiled.

"I do apologise if it is unsettling for you." He said. "I will try and-"

"Shhh. I love the feeling." She answered. "As I already said, it is the best compliment you could make me." 

"Oh I don't think it is." He replied arrogantly. "The day you let me try _to compliment you otherwise_ , you might change your mind." 

He nibbled at her neck and got his teeth to tease there. She shivered and her hands went to grasp his thighs. She stayed silent for a couple of seconds, catching her breath and landing back to reality. 

"Mon Dieu, Lucien…" 

Keeping a hand on her chest, the other slid down, underneath her trousers and along her soft thigh. He brushed one delicately and then the other. Lucien now knew that what he felt one way between his legs, she was feeling the other. She was softening more and more under his fingers. 

"Lucien?"

"Oui?" 

"What if the _day that I let you compliment me otherwise_ was today?"

The Frenchman smiled from one ear to the other. 

"Then I am fulfilled, or almost so." 

He dug his teeth in her neck softly and clenched his grasp on her thigh and chest. The snow leopard with the icy blue eyes had spotted a prey and he had been following her for a long time. His prey was not a gazelle or an antelope, it was more formidable and absolutely unique. He had met only one of her kind. It was a panther, yes, but a dangerously feminine one, _a panther as pink as she she had made his life be._

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading and as always your comments are extremely precious to me!! 

Thank you again very kindly and see you for 42!

  
  
  



	42. Chapter 42

"Are you sure about this Leila? Do you really want it?" 

She smiled. Leila was still sitting between the Frenchman's legs. She was wrapped in his lean yet strong arms but he still was soft enough to ask and make sure. Her answer came out in 3 words. 

_"Je te veux."_

_[I want you.]_

He smiled as the sentence gave him goosebumps. He caressed her thigh slowly. 

_"Et moi? Je meurs d'envie de toi."_

_[And me? I'm dying of being so eager for you.]_

She bit her lip. 

"Lucien… This is the day where I set you free. You don't have anything to prove. Just enjoy yourself." 

_"Oh mon Dieu…"_

He never had a partner that honest that she actually said those words aloud. It was usually a unpspoken pact... But hearing it, with her soft voice, in the intimacy of their bedroom, on their bed. 

"And please…" She started and his ears pricked up. "Don't ask, _just go ahead."_

He bit his lip. 

"I-I'm sorry, I want to ask because if you _do set me free_ , God only knows what I'll do under the sheer force of my desires."

"Whatever it is, I _want it._ I want you, as purely as you can be." 

"Mon Dieu Leila…" 

Lucien felt it. Each word she was saying made the pool of heat in his lower abdomen go hotter. She knew it of course. 

_"Vas-y…"_

_[Go ahead…]_

He kissed her neck suddenly and hungrily. He pulled her strongly to himself and let his mouth go on the other side of her neck. She breathed louder. His hand was still roaming on her chest but if he had been quite prude before, he now went for it. His other hand on her thigh brushed it up all the way until he reached her secret regions. His hand brushed past her underwear and she melted, exhaling and letting her shoulders sink. He put his hand on her stomach and very slowly his fingers slipped beneath the cotton underwear. 

_"Oooh… L-Lucien…"_

She felt his fingers discover it all. He took his time to caress everything, making a mental note of where everything was. She was a lady alright. Everything was where it should be and it was, well… He realised she had been waiting and _wanting_ for it, his fingers _were far from dry_. He smiled. 

_"L-Lucien, wait-!"_

Her thighs went tense and he immediately stopped.

"I'm sorry, I'm really embarrassed…" She said, almost tripping on her words.

"Why?" He asked. 

"I mean you know… I'm very… Huh, how may I say it…? As much as your body shows when you want me, your fingers now are covered in… _my wanting you."_

"And?" He asked. 

"And it's not exactly uhm… _poetic…_ It's even kind of… _gross."_

"Nonsense." He answered in her ear. " _This,_ Leila, this is the way that your body says that it wants me. I am delighted to create this as much as I am honoured. Non, I love it. It's exciting."

"Really?" 

"Oui. If you weren't in that state, I would stop everything altogether because it would show that you don't want any of it."

"You don't find it… _disgusting?"_

"Of course not! It's natural and shows that things are going the right way! Now, as much as you asked me to not ask but go ahead, I will ask you to relax _and enjoy."_

She smiled. 

_"For this journey I will take you on, I will make it such that you won't forget it."_

His whispers made her weak. His fingers moved _down south_ and now that he had a mental map of where everything was, he closed his eyes and played her like the most delicate instrument on Earth. And to be honest, it was exactly that. The rhythm was slow, it gave her time to appreciate his technique. He clearly had done it a thousand times before and didn't need any guidance. She melted further and grasped his arm. He managed to make her sing the softest moans, the most delicate cries, and he was barely started. His caresses were very delicate and carefully led and he wanted it to remain soft, to tease her and make her _melt like a candle from the flame of the desire he was creating._

She opened her legs further, they were now against his, and her head was resting on his shoulder limply. His fingers were working wonders as her moans showed. _Oh Lord, she didn't know she could find such a skilled man…_ But there he was, holding her firmly between his arms and making her see stars and constellations on her closed eyelids. 

"Leila?" He whispered. "Can you move away for a bit please?"

She opened her eyes and moved away from him. He made her turn towards himself, both on their knees on the bed and pushed his lips on her. He didn't wait to _add the French to the kiss_ and he teased her. Her moans were more than happy ones and she was smiling under the touch of his tongue on hers. He pushed her gown away and when they both got rid of them, he pushed her to lie down on the bed. 

He withdrew from her lips and she opened her eyes. 

_"Un instant s'il te plaît."_

[A moment please.]

She nodded and he disappeared from the room. He came back a moment later and closed the door after him. He went to the night lamp and switched it off. Leila blinked a couple of times for her eyes to try and adjust to the darkness. She heard him move in the room until she recognised a familiar noise. It sounded like the furtive friction of a lighter than one tries to start. It happened twice or three times and then she saw a light. 

It was a candle. Lucien had gone to fetch a candle and put it on the night table. Under the flickering light she saw that he had got rid of his clothes so she did the same such that when he towered her again, both were in their most natural costume. 

"Why a candle?" She asked. 

"Because I want every detail of this night to be perfect and electric light won't do." 

He bent down like a feline to drink from a calm pond and dropped his lips on hers. 

"Non, tonight is ours, in the most natural and primitive way." 

Leila smiled. Lucien could be incredibly sensitive and almost poetic when he wanted. 

"Je t'aime, Leila. Je ne te le répèterai jamais assez."

[I love you Leila. I will never repeat it enough times.]

She raised her hands to cup his face and pulled him down to kiss her. He gladly obliged before he reached her lips with his, he flicked them with his tongue, furtively. Like a reflex, hers went to meet it and they danced together. They knew the rhythm and the moves but it now meant something new. He went slightly slower, and like the outstanding dancing partner that she is, she followed him, waving under his slick and mellow waves. 

But soon he went down to her neck, and she ran her fingers in his hair. His mouth went down and stopped at her chest. And he did what he had been holding back from doing... He tasted her, his tongue tickling and leaving a trail of obscene wetness on her chest. She frowned and moaned, her fingers ruffling through his hair, her mouth barely able to articulate words. She raised her thighs right and left from him as he was lying between her legs. 

He loved every second of it and when she moaned his name, he growled, thanking the Lord that he had removed his underwear or it would have constrained him painfully now. 

He left a hand there and slid the fingers of his other hand between hers. His lips trailed down and it tickled her on her stomach, she chuckled and trembled. He clenched her hand for a second and slid further down, both his hands were now intertwined in hers. 

Lucien's hands went to her sides as she propped herself on her elbows. He was lying on his stomach, his head between her upper thighs. 

"You mocked me because I'm ticklish, but so are you." He said.

"A bit, oui." 

" _May I?"_

He raised his eyebrows and she shook her head smiling. 

"I told you to stop asking." 

Lucien grinned. 

"Fair enough, I shall proceed at my own leisure then."

"Oui, please." 

What she saw next sent her blood boiling everywhere. He got closer and never breaking eye contact, he lapped at her slowly. 

"Mon Dieu….!" 

She grasped the bedsheets left and right and jerked her head back in the pillows. He smirked and continued. What he had explored with his fingers, he was now tasting and Lord was it worth the long wait… It was the softest delicacy, his tongue slid effortlessly and even he started moaning. As much as she was enjoying it, the Frenchman loved it too. He closed his eyes and enjoyed it to the full, it was slow and soft, he was taking his time, pulling moans and soft, high-pitched cries from her again. His ears burnt under the pleasure that she was singing. He put his hands on her inner thighs, and stroked them slowly, feeling the tremors there. Leila slid her fingers in his hair and grasped firmly. 

_"Mon Dieu, Lucien…!"_

He lapped quickly sometimes, other times, he would drag his tongue lasciviously. In any case, she was on another planet. He stopped and looked up at her. She was catching her breath, her limbs almost dead on the bed. 

He slid back up to her and kissed her neck. 

_"Leila?"_

No answer. Her eyes were still closed. 

_"Leila, are you alright?"_

He kissed her again and felt her arms close around him.

"Oui…"

He put his cheek against hers and whispered.

" _I'm only getting started, don't give up now."_

Her answer caught him off guard. 

_"And I haven't started yet, so I'm far from giving up."_

He smiled and she pulled him to her lips. This time she took the lead and he let her proceed. She pushed him to be the one lying on the bed, on his back. She sat on his pelvis and bent down to kiss him. His arms caressed her sides and her back before regrouping on her cheeks. Her kisses were somehow more passionate, he felt the heat in her lips, and the desire, the eagerness. That's what he had been looking for. The perfect balance between softness and passion, shyness and somehow, _animalistic._

He felt her claws on his chest, her fangs on his neck. Lucien's lips parted as he needed some air. She was good, _very much so._ What a formidable partner. She sank lower down and played with his chest, he knew he was sensitive there and she pushed him a bit further. Her teeth chewed and her tongue lapped, making it hard for him to breathe. 

With the air that he managed to collect, he whispered her name and she smirked. It was a weak whisper, she was winning him over as much as he was losing his grip on reality, sinking deeper in her hands. 

She looked at him, he was catching his breath, a smirk on his lips and sweat beading on his brow. Her eyes went to his chest, wet now on his nipples from her attention there. The Frenchman lacked a trail of hairs between his chest and his lower abdomen. She kissed his stomach and sank further down. 

This time, she was the one propped on her elbows between his legs. She looked him in the eye as he pushed more pillows below his neck to watch. 

"Je t'aime." He said as he sat up and pulled her by the hand, to get her lips on his lips. They shared a slow kiss before parting, taking the time to look at each other's eyes, seeing the flame of the candle on the night table shyly dance in the depth of their pupils. 

He laid back down and she lowered herself again. She dropped a soft kiss on the Frenchman's masculinity and he smiled. As much as she could see it, she could feel it against her lips, Lucien was _very much in the mood._

She smirked and never leaving her eyes from his, she took _it between her lips._ The Frenchman bit his lip and frowned to fully appreciate it. It was warm, wrapped him perfectly and oh so sweetly. If she was a bit shy at first, both the taste of it and his moans made her braver and more hungry. 

She removed her mouth to wrap her fingers around it, caressing slowly from the base to the tip, and down again. Leila went to taste what was below and she knew it was most sensitive, so she took her time and respected its delicateness. 

_"Oooh, mon Dieu…"_

Lucien's hands slid on the bed to try and grasp something, anything, as he frowned harder. Oh she knew what she was doing, and she knew how to do it…! He pushed his legs open a bit more. She noticed it and smiled proudly before parting with that part. Leila looked up and saw the Frenchman, focused on the waves of pleasure she was creating. He opened his eyes and saw her malicious smile. 

_"Tu es irrésistible."_ Lucien said.

[You are irresistible.]

_"And look who is enjoying himself?"_

She put her finger on his pink end and wiped it. An obscene thread of wetness stretched from her index to the tip of his manliness. 

_"Tu ne peux pas imaginer à quel point je te veux."_

_[You can't imagine how much I want you".]_

She smiled and dived down to drag her tongue slowly from its base to the top and the Frenchman exhaled loudly, his toes curling up. When she arrived at the tip, she took it in and sank deeper and deeper. 

_"Ooh, grand Dieu… Leila!"_

She couldn't smile anymore. She was trying not to choke and still make it as enjoyable as possible for him. She couldn't see it but he had rolled his eyes up, trying to resist the urge to thrust his hips.

Leila finally had all of it and the syncopated breaths of her lover told her that he was enjoying himself. But she ran out of air soon and withdrew. She caught her breath quickly, but wanted more of it so she came back, licking it, enjoying herself as much as he did, pulling out moans that sounded weaker and weaker. She loved that feeling. The power of weakening a man from the pleasure she could make him feel. She lapped at it and shyly and eventuelly, she yielded to a temptation she had been fighting since she had settled between Lucien's legs.

Her lips came to meet the tip of his demanding masculinity, throbbing in her hand and she sucked on it.

_"Ohlalalaaa…."_ He hissed and his legs hardened like steel. 

It encouraged her and if she had been holding back slightly, afraid that he might not enjoy it as much as she was, she now yielded fully, savouring it and moaning as much as he did. It surprised him! He didn't know she could revel in it all that much. 

But there they both were, she had closed her eyes and found his hand that she held in the dark. He was clenching it hard.

_"Oh Leila…! Viens ici!"_

_[Oh Leila…! Come here!]_

He pulled her up strongly and his lips collided on hers almost violently. He wrapped an arm around her neck and grasped her backside powerfully with his other hand. She gasped and frowned as he pushed a violent kiss on her lips. Both their hearts woke up violently, their breaths mingled, their hands sliding everywhere, touching, pulling and grabbing. 

He withdrew from her lips just enough to whisper:

_"Attends!"_

_[Wait!]_

She felt his hand leave her back and take something. She looked at him and he put the square plastic packet between his teeth. She snatched it from his hands and threw it away. He raised surprised eyebrows and opened wide eyes. 

_"Mais, Leila…?"_

_[But, Leila…?]_

_"Lucien, une des raisons pour lesquelles je suis une excellente espionne, c'est parce que je n'ai pas de famille, et je ne peux pas en avoir."_

_[Lucien, one of the reasons why I am an excellent spy is that I don't have a family, and can't have any.]_

He gasped. 

_"T-tu ne peux pas avoir d'enfants?"_ He asked.

_[Y-you can't have children?]_

She shook her head. 

"It's a condition I have. I can't do anything about it." 

"Leila?"

She looked at him. 

"You lied." He asserted.

"Non, it's true! You can even ask Medic or Marc, they have my medical file!"

He shook his head. 

"That's not what I meant. You said you can't have a family of you own, yet you have me, and Lawrence."

Her eyes filled with tears. He put his hands flat on her cheeks and held her head.

"Leila, for me, you are not an adventure for the time of this mission. You are the adventure of this lifetime, _my_ lifetime. It's you or it's no one."

He pulled her head such that their foreheads touched. 

"I have no family either, a son who doesn't know I exist, no parents or relatives. Do you understand what I mean…?" 

She frowned and sniffed. Non, she was not getting it. 

"Leila, _you are all I have, my family and everything._ I'm actually quite distraught to hear you say that you don't see me like family." 

She gasped. 

"Don't you love me like I do?" He asked.

"Th-that's not what I meant! I meant that-that I can't have children, I can't give you or anyone any of them… I'm… I'm not a proper woman."

"That does not matter. It is not your fault and it doesn't make you less of a woman." He paused and brushed her face with the back of his knuckles. Lucien chuckled. "I think I can say confidently that I've checked thoroughly and you _are_ a woman, more than that in fact, you are _my woman_ , if you so wish. Because I am… Leila I am giving myself to you. When I say that I'm yours, it's not just words to seduce you, it is what I feel."

She bent down and kissed him, her fingers grasping his hair. 

"Lucien, je t'aime tellement…"

[Lucien, I love you so much…]

He stopped sharp. 

"Est-ce que tu veux continuer?"

[Do you want to continue?]

"I told you already…" She tapped his nose with her finger and he smiled. " _Don't ask, just go ahead."_

"But do-mh!"

She put her finger on his lips and smirked. Leila went to Lucien's ear. 

_"If you have checked thoroughly that I'm a woman, then you know that… well…"_ Her finger painted his upper lip and her lower one slowly. " _Then you know that I'm craving you."_

She took his upper lip between hers and pulled as he moaned. 

"In that case, I don't want to make you wait further…" 

He pushed her to be the one who is now straddling her. He bent down to kiss her, lowering his body on her slowly. She put her hands on his cheeks to reciprocate. 

"Mmmh… Leila…"

" _Vas-y."_

_[Go ahead.]_

She didn't know it but he had been trying to hold himself back and it was almost painful. He put his forehead on hers and slowly rolled his hips forward. She bit her lips and moaned. 

"Mmh… Lucien…"

He loved the feeling. He was warm, in the safety of her body and it was perfect, perfect bliss. He pushed himself to the end and felt her nails dig deep in his back as she hummed in pleasure. 

"L-Lucien… It's-it's perfect… It feels… It feels…" 

"Perfect." He finished for her. "It feels perfect."

_"Embrasse-moi."_ She asked. 

_[Kiss me.]_

Lucien went for her lips as she felt his hips move slowly back and forth. 

"Oh mon Dieu… Mmmmh…"

His rhythm accelerated and so did their breaths and their heartbeats. The candle on the night table ran out of wax and the flame disappeared. The darkness of the night wrapped them both as they committed, body and soul, to spend a torrid night of love. 

Lucien's hair stuck on his forehead, they were both sweaty, the air was thick and the Frenchman was as good with his masculinity as with his tongue. His hips rolled not violently, not aggressively, but lovingly and seductively. His message was clear. He wanted to satisfy her as much as he wanted it for himself. 

But before he could think further, she pushed him to lie on the bed and straddled him. She was on all four and kissed him passionately, slowly sinking on him, feeling his manliness fill her. She took her time. Not that Lucien's intimacy was uncomfortably big. Non, it was just perfect and she was old enough to know that the adventure was as enjoyable as the climax itself.

She felt it on the walls of her own secret regions, sliding effortlessly, slickly and naturally. Leila raised her head to grasp some hair before lying on him and taking the lead on things. 

Lucien was astonished again. She could go much faster but she chose a slower pace for them both to enjoy. Their lips were sealed, their breaths exchanged in moans and groans.

He breathed her name, she whispered his as she accelerated the rhythm of her hips. She planted her hands flat on his chest and jerked her head up to get some air. The Frenchman was on another planet but he needed to feel her differently. 

He pushed her away gently and she obliged, her eyes open wide in surprise. He sat on his knees behind her and pulled her closer. Her back was resting on his chest. Again, he slid very delicately, his pelvis turning slowly, and wrapped his hands around her. He went all the way in and she arched her back, planting her nails on his thighs. He wrapped his fingers around her neck, leaning her head on the side to dig his teeth in her shoulder.

_"Ah! Lucien!"_

And his hips started. He growled as his teeth sank in her flesh in rhythm with his thrusts. She moaned with an open mouth. He was wizard, a magician. How could he know that _that_ position and _that_ rhythm were perfect? The answer was obvious: because they were perfect _for him too._

His arms held her more and more firmly as she felt the peak of her pleasure come. 

"L-Lucien… J-je vais… Je vais…"

[L-Lucien… I'm going to… I will…]

He laid her on the bed on her back and she instantly wrapped her legs and arms around him. Seeing her wanting him that much made him blind with lust. He buried his head in her neck and got back to it, and quite faster. 

The springs in the mattress were suffering, the bedframe shaking at the Frenchman's fast pace. He felt her fingers in her hair clench as her breath suddenly went completely out of rhythm, her legs fell from his back and her thighs started shaking. 

_"LUCIEN!"_

He went all the way in and laced his arms around her, pulling her against himself. It wasn't enough that they were _one._ He wanted to be closer to her still! So he kept her in his arms, as lightning bolts of bliss went through her breath and her limbs. He was surprised to see that it lasted quite some time…! But even if it had lasted longer, he would have held her close and deep. He refused to let go of her. Not there, not now and not _ever._

She took some time to catch her breath and he didn't dare move even if he was achingly close to his own satisfaction. He didn't want to seem selfish. This was _their_ moment, not his. He felt something cold on his neck and moved back and realised she had dragged her tongue there, lazily. She was wearing the sweetest smile he had seen. 

"Merci." She said. 

"Avec plaisir."

[My pleasure.]

"Now, my turn to take care of you." Leila answered. "What would you prefer?" 

He was gobsmacked. Again, never had he had anyone ask him that question _that bluntly._ Out of professional habit, he didn't let his surprise show and laid on the bed. 

_"Do what you please."_ He said, offering himself like a priceless dish on an expensive silver plate. 

She looked at his body and bit her lip. She had an idea of what he would like… 

Leila lied between his legs let her mouth and tongue work on Lucien's throbbing desire. He sank deeper in the pillows at the flick of her skillful tongue, and the wet warmth of her mouth. Her hands went to caress his body as her mouth worked _hard_ on his eager masculinity _\- or did it work eagerly on his hard masculinity…?_

He loved the combination of her mouth working hotly on him when her hands were very soft and slithering everywhere. He moaned with a open mouth, trying to get a little more air, just enough to carry him through… 

"Aah, Leila… Leila, je…"

[Aah, Leila… Leila, I…]

He looked down and saw her eyes riveted on his and her mouth not getting away from _it._

_"Leila, je ne vais pas pouvoir me retenir plus longtemps!"_

_[Leila, I won't manage to hold myself longer!]_

It took a few seconds after that for him to yield, the waves of liberation crashing everywhere as Leila's lips sank in deep and he felt it all… His legs and toes curled up as he violently grasped the bedsheets, dug his heels in the bed and couldn't help but thrust his hips up. 

_"LEILAAA!"_

His back landed on the bed again in a thump and he fell limply. Lucien gathered enough strength to put a hand on his chest, to try and calm his heartbeat. He glanced down and what he saw made him flip inside his own head. 

Leila looked at him in the eye and gulped down, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. 

_"Où… Où as-tu été… pendant toutes ces années…? Où…?"_

_[Where… Where have you been… during all those years…? Where…?]_

She smiled and moved to lie next to him. He opened his arm and she laid down, using his shoulder as a pillow. She waited for him to catch his breath and slid a hand down. She caressed his fatigued manliness so very softly. He hissed, it was very sensitive now and it would take him a bit of time to settle down. But, dear Lord, it's like she knew it and did it extremely carefully. She was caressing to appease, not to to tease. 

And indeed it took a few minutes before Lucien and his entire body were at peace again. 

_"Merci."_ He whispered and curling his arm around her to squeeze her, he brought her closer to his lips and kissed her forehead. 

_"Je suis fou de toi, je t'aime à la folie et je ne rêve que de toi."_

_[I am mad about you, I love you to madness and I dream of nothing but you.]_

Lucien said, out of words to praise her and tell her how much he loved her. She left a peck on his neck and put a leg between his. 

"Je t'aime au-delà de ce que j'aurai pensé pouvoir aimer."

[I love you beyond what I thought was possible to love.] 

She answered and went on top of him to lie there. He laced his arms around her and covered them both with the duvet before the temperature in the room dropped and the cold but their skin. Lucien lost his fingers through her black curls and both fell asleep in the safety of each other's arms.

  
 _ **\-- Author's notes --**_  
  
  
Thanks for reading and I hope no one dies from all this spice! :D

See you for 43!


	43. Chapter 43

Lucien woke up first. He found himself spooning the object of all his desires in his arms. He smiled. Leila was a bit shorter than him such that it was perfectly comfortable for him. The Frenchman delicately nuzzled against her neck and that's when he realised it… 

They were still naked from the night before. He was feeling her skin against his… Lucien rolled his eyes up in bliss and his smile widened. He stayed there, not thinking about anything yet ideas flew past his head like shooting stars in diverse directions. That was his way to stop time, pause reality and make that moment last. Make it last as a form of payback. He had suffered enough, made mistakes, small ones, big ones, _gigantic_ ones. 

And yet, there he was, blinking repeatedly in silence, holding onto the person who gave his life a meaning. The person who, should she disappear, would mean the end of time, and life itself. She was a blessing, sent by a force stronger than anything, and only weaker than herself. 

His smile vanished and the corner of his lips slowly moved down on his face.

How many sunrises and how many sunsets? How many days and nights had he spent not worrying about the next? But he had reached that age now, where tomorrow was a gift and had to be seized, used and all its juices and potential thoroughly extracted. He never knew what tomorrow was made of and had gotten used to think that yesterdays were gone, buried, not to be lived again, wasted. 

He used to see through an old cathode screen, in shades of black and white, with blurry lines. He used to taste the bitterness in the sweetest pastry, his fingers asleep and not able to make the difference between a sharp blade and the softness of a rose petal.

She changed it all. Yesterdays were now _memories,_ tomorrows, anticipated, and today? A gift, _the present._

She blew the wind of life through him. He _felt_ again. His arm was wrapped around her, his fingers felt her skin. His nose was next to her neck, her perfume was the smell of bliss, his lips were against her back and life now had the taste of her. 

He blinked, a teardrop flowed at the corner of his eye only caught by the pillow.

So many days, months and years spent trying to become someone, not realising that _that_ was not what he needed. He didn't need to _become_ someone, he already _was_ exactly that. Non. And above all, that was not what he wanted. 

His lips trembled. 

What he wanted was someone to walk the path of life with. Someone who would hold his hand, understand that he was not a killing machine, he wasn't a name on a picture or a frame, neither was he a rank or a step on the vertical ladder of hierarchy. Non. He was but a man, a romantic liar, a disastrous father. 

Another teardrop rolled along the trail that the first one had made. 

He had always had the choice, he always could have done things differently. Yet, it had made sense to choose this way over that one. Make that mistake over that other one. It seemed like the lesser evil, the easiest decision, _the path of least resistance?_

And where did it all lead him? 

_In her arms._

In her blessed arms. She did not fill all his voids and emptiness. Non, she had made them vanish. His desires, his wishes and hopes were new now and she was at the intersection of them all. As old as he was, he knew how dangerous it was to put all of him in a single pair of hands. But he would do it. He would gather all of himself and put it in the palms of her delicate hands. 

It was one last try, one last attempt, and maybe it was the only one which would prove fruitful. So he believed. 

He felt her fingers lace between his and smiled again.

"Tu es réveillée ma chérie?" 

[You have woken up darling?]

He whispered and felt her nod from behind. He moved his head on the pillow, wiping his tears away before she turned to face him. She put her head below his chin and her hands on his chest. 

"Your heart is beating fast. And you're very hot. Are you alright?"

She also had to be clever. 

Leila raised her head and opened her eyes blinking slowly. He looked down at her and smiled. She noticed his wet eyelashes and wordlessly laced her arms around his head and pulled him to rest under her chin. He let her do and laid there, in the safety of her soft arms, her fingers brushing his hair slowly.

"Je t'aime." She just said. The _magical plaster_ words to heal all pains. Leila put her lips in his hair and left soft kisses, not seeing that he had closed his eyes against her. 

_He was but a man, a romantic liar and a disastrous father._

Not anymore. 

He indeed was far from the best father ever. He also was still very romantic at heart, but he didn't lie anymore. He couldn't. It didn't make sense. Why did he take up that habit anyway? What for? 

Wait. Why did he take up that habit? He was questioning _that_?

He took a deep breath and curled up, burrowing further in her chest. Leila turned to lie on her back and he followed her movement. 

"Mon amour, ça va?" She shyly asked.

[My love, are you ok?]

"Oui. Maintenant ça va." 

[Yes. Now it's alright.]

He slid his arms around her and hugged her tightly. 

"I-I'm just wondering about things." 

"What things? You want to tell me?" 

"Non, not just yet." He answered. 

"Alright, that's fine." 

He raised his head off her, his hair falling in front of his eyes. 

"You're not more curious than that?" He asked. 

"I am curious, don't get me wrong. But if you don't feel like sharing, it's fine."

He looked at her eyes and blinked silently. It's crazy how he would feel himself fall for her in real time. His chest was hot and buzzing.

"Merci." He simply answered and dropped himself on her lips, offering his. 

_\-- BLU Base's kitchen, lunchtime --_

"Look who it is! Hey Spies!" Scout said, restless on his chair. 

"Bonjour." They both said at the same time and sat opposite each other. 

It was Medic's turn to cook that day and Heavy had been helping, unsurprisingly. It was a beautiful day, the sky was clear, the sun was bright. All the mercenaries were gathered around the table. All? Well, with the exception of Pyro and Engie. 

"G'day mates! Oh hey Spooks!"

The tall Australian man entered and sat at the end of the table, Leila on his left and Lucien on his right. 

"Hello Snoop!" 

As soon as he sat down, Leila brushed his forearm warmly and his cheeks went pink. The Frenchman softened and leant back on his chair. 

"Is Engie comin' at all?" Scout asked. 

"Dunno, laddie. He's been workin' in his garage ever since ye brought those robots back yesterday." 

"Has he eaten anything since then?" Leila asked.

"Ja, Pyro comes to get some food for both of them. Speaking of, it's ready!"

In a matter of minutes, the mercenaries all had food in their plates and were eating. It was a jolly atmosphere around the table and the usual chats were going around. 

"So how come ya came out of yer den, Spooks?"

"Our _den?"_ The Frenchman repeated. 

"Yeah, ya foxes, yer den."

"Well, it's my turn for the dishes today" Leila started. "And Spy kindly offered to help."

Pyro pushed the kitchen door and entered. 

"Ah! Hello, Pyro. I have prepared your plates… Here, on the counter." Medic said, interrupting his meal. 

The man in the gas mask giggled and nodded in thanks. He took a tray put the plates on it, some cutlery and turned on his heels. 

"Eh, lad, is Engie alright?" Demo asked. 

Again, the fire specialist nodded, he explained that his Texan friend was just very busy but he was absolutely fine. 

"Aye, fair enough."

With a last nod to everyone, Pyro left the kitchen for Engie's garage and the conversations resumed.

"So yes, as I was saying, Spy will help me with the dishes." Leila said. 

Sniper's eyes snapped wide. 

"Oi there!" The Australian gulped down what he had in his mouth. "That's _my_ job, ya wild frog!"

"Your _job?_ So your Mann Co. contract says that you're a Sniper and _dishwasher?_ Well, my apologies, I hadn't realised you were _that_ useful, mon ami…" The Frenchman teased. 

"Y-what?! Nah you mongrel! _I_ used to be the one to help her with the dishes is what I meant!"

"Fine, I will leave your precious dishes alone Bushman. You can wash them yourself, happy?" 

The Australian rolled up his eyes. 

"Gentlemen, you can both help me if you want." Leila suggested. 

"Yeah well, I'll see if I can bear'im…" 

The three of them smiled and everyone finished their meal. Scout escaped the table first but soon all the mercenaries withdrew, leaving the two Spies and Sniper alone. 

"Right, let's get to it…" Leila said as she removed her jacket and rolled her left sleeve up. 

"Let me help…" Lucien removed his gloves and came to roll her right one up. 

"Merci." 

"De rien."

Sniper had started emptying the table and bringing the dishes to be washed next to the sink, on the counter. He saw them busy and smiled. 

The BLU Spy opened the tap and got started. With their banter, washing the pile of dishes almost seemed fun… 

"How is your owl by the way?" She asked as she passed a glass to her lover. 

"Better… Not quite there yet but better. And thanks for the kitten food, he loves it and it's perfect for him." 

"Glad to hear it." Lucien answered. "Although I must ask how on Earth do you know how to take care of an owl… Had it been a dog or a cat, I would have understood. But an owl…?"

"Well it's just a bird that likes meat really, so it's not too different from say… Medic with his doves."

"Fair enough." 

"Did you find a name for it?" Leila asked. 

"Nah, I won't bother with a name. Chances are, when he gets better and can fly again, I'll set him free and he won't stick around." 

"Ooh…" Leila sadly answered. 

"Mate, it's an owl. It was never meant to be a pet eh!" 

"I know, you're right, but still…" 

They finished with the task at hand and both Spies unrolled their sleeves to put their jackets back on. Lawrence smiled when he saw the Frenchman hold Leila's jacket for her to easily slide her hands in. 

"Roight, that's done now. I'll head back to me van then." 

"May I join you, Bushman?" Lucien asked. 

"Sure, I'll go ahead and tidy up a bit. That owl has a tendency to go everywhere and play with anything it can find."

"Fine, I will join you a bit later then." Lucien answered. 

The Australian nodded and left the kitchen, and the then base. 

"I'm so happy that you two get along well." Leila said as Lucien led the way back to their room. 

"Well, that's thanks to you." Lucien answered and both entered their suite. 

"Meow?" 

Perle came trotting to them and her children followed her closely. They had grown up so fast…! 

"Thanks to me?" Leila asked. 

"Lawrence and I were naturally born enemies. He is such an easy target after all, standing still, isolated from the rest of the team… An absurdly easy back to stab." Lucien answered, throwing his mask and gloves away. 

Leila did the same and stared at him. 

"Something's the matter?" He asked, thinking he had something on his face. 

"N-non. You're just… It's your hair." 

He took her by the hand and both sat on the sofa.

"It's getting longer, I know, I should go and get a haircut." 

Lucien slid his fingers in it to card back his white front tuft. 

"Non… I mean… I like it when it's a bit longer like that."

He looked down at her and smiled. 

"First I can't shave and now I can't get a haircut. Are you trying to make me look like a caveman?" 

She chuckled. 

"Non, I just think it suits you. But please, if it's uncomfortable or if you just prefer it shorter, go ahead and cut you hair, and you can shave everything off too."

_"Everything?"_ The Frenchman raised a malicious eyebrow. 

"Well, you know my taste…" She answered. "But it's _your_ body and you should feel comfortable with it." 

"I know your taste indeed." Lucien brushed Leila's cheek and his hand slipped under her chin. "And you haven't stopped staring at my hair and beard."

"Oh-uh, sorry, I-I didn't mean to…" She diverted her gaze and looked at the cats lying in one mass of fur on the carpet, between the sofa and the fireplace. 

With his fingers still under her chin, he made her turn her face and look at him. 

_"I never asked you to stop."_

Her breath cut short and she could feel her heart wake up in her chest.

"How can you be so tempting…?" She asked. 

"Is it a complaint?" 

"Non. It is a delight." She answered and wrapped her arms around his neck as she straddled his thighs. 

Lucien leant back on the sofa and brushed his hands on her thighs. Leila put her forehead against his. 

"I would ask you the same." He said. 

"What?"

"How can _you_ be so tempting?" 

His fingers brushed her all the way up from her thighs to her cheeks. 

"But you're not just tempting me in one way." He added. She raised her eyebrows as if to ask him to explain. 

"Leila…" The words failed to come. Her big dark eyes with the long eyelashes were too impressive. Her gaze had penetrated his skull, paralysed his thoughts. She smiled and curled up on him, laying her head on his shoulder. He held her close and felt her chest rise and fall peacefully against his own. He put one foot on the other and closed his eyes, resting his head on hers. 

"Leila…" He started again. "The thought of you makes me feel so light. It's actually quite peculiar. You see, I sometimes think about how life used to be before I met you."

"And?" She asked, her hands still around his neck.

"And I don't… remember? Or rather I don't know how I managed to drag myself from one day to the other."

"You didn't." She calmly answered. 

"What?" 

"You didn't drag yourself. Time just passed and like a leaf on a river, it carried you with its flow, on its course from one day to the next. You didn't carry yourself, _time just passed."_

"Leila?"

His hand went to the back of her head, through her short curls, coiling around his slim fingers. 

"Hm?"

"How come anything you say makes so much sense?" 

She smiled, her head still on his shoulder, and moved to kiss his neck shyly. 

"Because I love you that much, you funny man. I love you." She repeated and he smiled. Leila felt his hug tighten. Lucien kissed her head. 

"You know," Leila started, "I didn't used to be that… _cuddly_ or affectionate, whatever the proper word is. I used to be very cold and even if I had to… well… _get some men to speak…_ I would always fake my feelings. It was fine, I've always played it like a game, not really thinking about what could happen because, well, simply I knew nothing could happen beyond what my job asked me."

"So I should be happy the Administrator is not asking you to seduce me?" Lucien cheekily asked. 

"Oh yes of course!" She answered arrogantly, to tease him. 

"Fair enough, but you should know that it is the same for me. I never had the chance to be really me with a woman, _or a man for that matter…_ "

Leila's head jumped up and looked at him in the eye.

"You've been with men before?" 

"It happened, yes, but only for a night here and there."

"You liked it?" She asked. 

"In a way, yes. I never really had _feelings_ per se, it was more _physical._ But I enjoyed it, yes, even though I prefer the charms of a woman." 

"I'm glad you do." She said.

"That's all? " He asked. 

"What do you mean?"

"You don't react further than that? I've just told you that I've slept with men and you seem unfazed."

"How did you expect me to react?" 

"I don't know… Maybe be disgusted or at least surprised."

"Non, I'm just curious."

"Curious?" Lucien repeated, his fingers massaging her head through her hair. 

"Oui, I just want to know you. And it's not like you killed someone…!" She winked at him and he chuckled. 

"Well…" 

"I was joking. But at heart, what I mean is I don't mind." 

"Very open-minded of you." 

"Bah, it just bears no consequences to me, as long as now you love me."

"And I do, so much." 

She kissed his lips and put her head on his shoulder again. 

"What about you, have you ever been with a woman?" He asked. 

"Non, not really. I mean the furthest I've ever gone was to make a compliment to a few of them. But that's where it stopped."

"Did you ever want to go further?" 

"Non. I can appreciate a woman's beauty, but that's about where it stops."

"Fair enough." 

Silence fell for a while, their chests rising and falling in sync. 

"Leila?" 

"Hm?" 

He kissed her head before saying.

"Please stay in my arms."

"I will."

"Non, you misunderstood me." He said and she looked up at him, with question marks in her eyes. "I meant…"

Again, her eyes were too piercing for him. She was wordlessly asking an explanation, she looked like she waiting for something, expecting something. It didn't help him. Leila saw it and decided to resort to a wordless course of action. She lifted her chest off of Lucien's and sat straight, still straddling his thighs. She took his head in her hands, sticking one on each of his stingy cheeks and put her forehead on his. 

The Frenchman felt his entire upper body relax, with his eyes closed. He put his hands on her sides, on the blue suit jacket, and his lips parted slightly as she pushed his back to rest on the sofa's back. 

Leila smiled. He looked like he was on another planet. He was letting her have her way and she treasured those moments dearly. She knew how hard it was for him, to give himself away, to trust her fully. He was frowning a bit still. It was difficult, painful almost. 

But when she delicately brushed her lips on his… 

His eyebrows moved up, relaxing, and he went from showing the internal battle within himself to yielding. His hands softened on her sides and stopped gripping that hard. He almost looked distraught… 

She pressed her lips ever so slowly. His breath stopped sharp. Such softness…! That's why he preferred women. There was something that he knew they were able to do without shying back: to let their extreme delicateness show. It wrapped him warmly and his hands went to her thighs, brushing slowly. 

"Tu…" He started. "Je…"

[You… I…]

He was whispering with his eyes closed. 

"Je ne veux rien d'autre que toi."

[I want nothing else but you.]

"Meow?!" 

He opened his eyes and felt Perle jumping on the sofa. Both him and Leila petted her. 

"D'accord, et toi aussi." 

[Alright, and you too.]

The fluffy white cat purred under their scratches and her children jumped and mewled, asking for pets too.

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks!!!

  
  
Stay tuned for the next one!


	44. Chapter 44

"Come in!" 

Lawrence had recognised Lucien's knock. The Frenchman pushed the door and found the Australian hunched over his slim kitchen top, busy with his feathery rescue. 

"Ouch! Don't bite me! I'm helpin'!"

"Hoo-hoo!" 

"Oi! What's this? You're talking back now? That's very rude!"

Lucien closed the door and got closer. The Australian was changing the bird's bandage.

"Relax, stop bein' restless like that, it's just makin' it harder! There…! Was it that hard now? There, get a treat, and not because you behaved!" 

The young owl got busy with the kitten food as the Australian washed his hands. He joined his French friend on the sofa. 

"Sorry about that mate, I had to change his thingy."

"It's fine. You should think about giving him a name, you two get along nicely. He listens to you." The Frenchman teased as he lit a cigarette up. 

"You're such a nuisance…" The Australian snatched a cigarette off Lucien's case and lit it. He put a mug between them, like an ashtray. "Ya wanker."

The Frenchman raised an eyebrow. 

"Well, not anymore, _I have someone else do it for me."_

Sniper frowned, not understanding what his friend meant. But when the innuendo hit him…

"Y-WHOT?! Crikey! Oi, Spy, that's…! You're a bloody nuisance…"

Lucien chuckled. 

"Those jokes really make you turn red in the face…"

Lawrence looked away and brushed his hands on his face. 

"Yeah… Well… Why did you want to see me? I'm guessin' it's not just for that _joke_?"

"Well, not just for that. Non, I wanted to thank you." 

"For what?"

"For keeping an eye on Leila during the mission, as I asked you to." 

Lawrence smiled. 

"Well, I love her too, differently from you, but still. If somethin' was to happen to her and I didn't step in, I wouldn't forgive myself."

"Likewise." 

They knocked their cigarettes gently and the cinders fell in the ashtray, one and the other.

"But I still insist on thanking you properly." 

"Well, you're welcome."

"Is there anything I could do to repay the favour?" Lucien asked. 

"To start with, don't make any of those jokes ever again!" 

"You can't ask me that, you know that?"

"Worth tryin'."

"Anything else?"

"Not that I can think of."

"I'll still owe you one, then." Lucien said, crushing his cigarette and standing up. He adjusted his tie on his collar and went to the door. "I won't bother you longer, I'll leave you to your life." 

"Uh actually, there's one thing we could do, I suppose."

" _We?"_

"Yeah, you, Leila and me." 

_\-- Training room --_

Lucien pushed the door and entered. He had promised his lover to teach her how to use her blade and intended to keep his promise. Thus, he had told her to meet him in the training room in the afternoon. 

He closed the door after him and turned to face the still dark room. Suddenly, he got kicked in the back of his left knee, which made him lose his balance enough that he ended up on his knees with Leila's arm blocking him, and her knife on his throat. 

"What do you say to that, Monsieur?" She proudly asked, after flipping the switch on the nearby wall.

He smiled. 

"Were the circumstances different, I would gladly let you have your way." 

The silence that followed emphasised her not understanding him, so he explained. 

"If we were, say, during the night, just you and me, in our room… And if you were holding me like that…"

Her eyebrows jumped and she smiled. She was actually not really threatening him with the sharp side of her knife, but rather the blunt one, not to hurt him. 

"But alas, I will now free myself and have _my_ way with you." 

"You wish…!"

He jerked his head back and headbutted her stomach. She took a step back and he slithered under her knife. Springing on his feet, he disarmed her and dropped the knife on the floor. He then swiftly scooped her knees with one arm, she fell backwards and his right arm was there to support her back. He was carrying her in his arms. She gasped and clung around his neck. 

"See, I told you. I freed myself and I am having my way with you." 

"You are such a devil…" 

"I hope I am your favourite."

"Of course." 

He gently put her back on the ground. 

"Although, I would say that you did manage to catch me off guard and put me on my knees, so that's definitely better." He said. 

" _You'd better get used to it, I'll put you on your knees again…"_

His eyes lit up and he smirked. 

"I cannot wait. But for now, let us focus on the task at hand, shall we?" 

"Of course." 

"First, if you really wanted to scare me, at least do it with the right side of the blade." 

"But I didn't want to hurt you." She answered. 

Lucien put a hand in his inner pocket and retrieved two knives. 

"Are these…?" She asked.

"Yes, they are round-end kitchen knives. That way, we can train without hurting each other."

He handed her one and took one in his hand. 

"Now, I guess from the way you are holding that blade that you are not very familiar with it, non?" He asked. 

"Non indeed. Knife combat is not exactly… _my generation…_ " She answered shyly. 

Lucien smiled. 

"I know. That's why you need an old man like me to teach you. So, first and foremost, how to hold a blade. Please get your butterfly knife out, I need to show you…" 

She did as he asked and got showered under a lengthy explanation of how blades were made and to what end. She followed him with attention, nodding from time to time to show that she was still understanding along the way. Lucien explained how the knife's use was not only to slash or stab and that all the parts of it can be used as a weapon, if you know how to manipulate them. Even the handle was useful. He took his own butterfly knife out and played with it, making it spin and turn between his fingers as if it was nothing but a toy.

Out of professional habit, she didn't let her surprise show but dear God, that man was skilled! 

After the long yet very interesting introduction and theory, practise arrived and Lucien once again proved to be an excellent teacher. He showed her the moves and she reproduced them again and again until the technique was perfect. 

"The knife itself isn't very dangerous, it's how you wield it that makes it deadly!" Lucien said. "Do it again, the position of your feet was wrong. It's way too predictable to do it like this. Look, I'll show you…" 

It lasted hours that neither of them felt. They were enjoying themselves. Leila loved that Lucien shared his techniques with her and he absolutely adored her focused gaze on him. 

When she mastered the basics, he went deeper in details, making her see the nuances, the subtleties. 

"When you use a knife, the position of you body tells when your opponent will hit and how."

"Like in close combat?" She asked. 

"Exactly." He was delighted she was following him. "So you need to make your moves the most subtle possible. Do you remember the first day we met, when I caught you and immobilised you?"

"Oui." 

"Let me show you how I did it…" 

He asked her to walk in front of him. He suddenly sprang on his feet and in a flash, her back was against his chest, she could feel the dull kitchen knife under her throat again, his perfume washing her head from the inside, his gloved hand on her mouth… 

He felt her lean back on him, resting her head against his chest shyly, under his chin. Looking down, he realised she had closed her eyes, her grip on his arms softening. He smiled. She was melting in his arms. 

"This is not how you are supposed to react." He whispered in her ear. He removed his hand off her mouth to hear her answer.

_"Comment ne pas perdre la tête, serrée dans des bras audacieux…?"_

_[How can I not lose my mind, held by those strong arms of yours…?]_

She was quoting a very old song, _Mon Amant de Saint-Jean,_ "My lover of Saint-Jean". He smiled and continued for her. 

" _Car on croit toujours aux doux mots d'amour, lorsqu'ils sont dits avec les yeux."_

_[Because we always believe soft words of love, when they are said with the eyes.]_

She smiled. 

"You are supposed to resist me." He said. 

"I can't…" She answered. "I suppose I can say it now but…"

"But?" He asked, still holding her close. 

"I… I like when you hold me. Well, I say I _like_ it but you know what I mean." 

He smiled and got close to her ear, covered by her blue mask. 

_"Should I understand that you love it?"_

She leant her head more, raising it so that it rested entirely on his chest, her eyes facing the ceiling but still closed. He flipped the knife and put it back in his inner pocket. Lucien, still grinning, let his hands wrap around her in a more loving way, his hands around her lower abdomen, his palms against her, pulling her close to him. He lowered his head and nuzzled in her neck. The fabric of the mask was in the way but neither of them cared. He was there for her smell, that he was addicted to, and for the warmth. Her lips parted. 

"Quite unprofessional, _Monsieur le Professeur…"_

_[Mister Professor]_

She arrogantly said. 

"And very unprofessional of you to not try and free yourself from me." 

She felt the vibrations of his voice everywhere. 

"Why would I?"

His grin got wider. 

"If _that_ is what you're after, let's call it a day and go back to our room. It's been already a lot of information for you to digest today."

He released her and she turned to face him. 

"Merci mon amour." She cupped his face and pushed herself to the tip of his toes to kiss him. 

"Tout le plaisir est pour moi."

[All the pleasure is mine.]

_\-- Spies' room, evening --_

The Frenchman was on the sofa, catching up with the news on his magazine while his lover was sitting on the floor, cross-legged. 

"Perle..." She said as the cat came trotting at her. The fluffy lady and her children came all around the French lady who was drawing on her sketchbook. 

Perle stood up on her back legs and stretched her spine to get as high up as she could. Leila bent down a bit and the cat put her upper paws on her cheeks, left and right, before brushing her fluffy face against Leila's. 

"Aaw… _Tu es adorable…"_ Leila said, hugging the cat. 

[You're adorable…]

Lucien peeked from his magazine, his eyebrows arched up and when he saw it, he smiled, putting his cigarette between his lips again. 

Perle's children laid down around Leila. Most of them had hair as long as their mother, only _Chaussette_ (Sock) had short hair. 

"She really likes you, hm?" The voice behind the magazine said. 

"Oui, and I'm delighted that she does, I love her too. Also, Lucien, look…" 

The Frenchman put his magazine down and his eyes went to them, _his family._

"Perle?" Leila said and the cat who had sat down raised her head. "Donne-moi la patte." 

[Give me your paw.]

Leila extended her hand flat and the lady cat put her paw on top. Lucien's eyebrows jumped and his lips pursed up. 

"C'est bien ma chérie." Leila said, awarding Perle with some most appreciated head scratches.

[Very good darling.]

"I am impressed! What if I try…?" Lucien said and put his magazine down. He pulled his trousers legs up slightly before sitting down on the carpet. 

"Perle?" The cat turned to him and jumped to him. "Donne-moi la patte."

Lucien laid his hand flat, palm facing up in front of his cat. She stared at her master with her big blue eyes, not reacting in any other way but licking her paw. The Frenchman sighed.

"Perle, donne-lui la patte." Leila asked and the lady cat stopped licking her paw and put it on her master's hand. 

[Perle, give him your paw.]

"So she only listens to you now?" Lucien asked. 

" _Like someone else I know, yes."_ Leila answered and winked at him. 

Lucien smiled. He kissed Perle's paw and let her go. 

"Can I see your drawing?" 

"Oui, I think it's almost finished." 

The Frenchman slid on the ground to sit next to his lover. 

"Here, what do you think?" 

She had drawn him reading his magazine, peeking from below it. 

"Oh, so you did see me?" 

She nodded. 

"It's funny how you can be the best spy in the world but _that_ was very obvious." She answered. 

"What can I say, I am under someone's charm…!"

He put his arm around her waist. 

"So am I." She leant her head on his shoulder. 

"Any other new drawings I can see?" 

"Oui, feel free to have a look." She handed him the book with the pencil and for a second he thought she would snatch it back and tell him it was a joke. "Go ahead."

"I-I'm honoured you should trust me that much." 

She snuggled up against him and put her hands on his thigh. Leila closed her eyes to fully appreciate the contact with him, his warm and soft shoulder. 

The Frenchman flipped the pages. The cats were on most pages and similarly to real life, they were always drawn in a group. Sometimes they were fighting for their food, sometimes they were napping, on this page they were playing, on that other one they were calmly sitting in front of the fireplace. 

He flipped the page again.

Ah, Lawrence. Lucien had grown to _bear_ the man, maybe even _like him_ despite the _enemy-ship_ and of course the atrocious jarate. Had life been different, they might have been friends right from the start, who knows? The Australian was an excellent listener, he proved it countless times, and provided sound advice, always, although the coffee that went along with it was of the worst quality. Non, he liked him as a friend and got quite surprised that he had indeed kept an eye on Leila. 

Lucien flipped the page. 

_Oof._

He blushed. Those were new drawings of him _in his most natural clothes…_ He took the time to observe himself. She had drawn him taking quite the pose! No detail was missing, his scars, his wounds, even his burn marks. He hated them all. But Leila - he looked down at her quickly - was resting on his shoulder, right where some of them were. She was almost sleeping on him. 

Was that possible? She could just fall asleep on him _that_ easily? It reminded him of back when he had first got Perle, years and years before, when she was but a fragile kitten. She used to fall asleep in his very hands. He smiled. 

Leila was between sleeping and resting, her head on her lover's shoulder. _Her lover._ The man she _loved_ and who loved her back. The man she called _hers_ and who called her _his…_ Of course when she was much younger she used to dream about such romance, finding the perfect man and blablabla. 

And now she came to think that she found even better than that. She found a man who wasn't perfect, non, far from it. He was a compulsive liar, needed to have control over everything, thought himself more intelligent than anyone… But by God, he was irresistible! And not only physically. It turned out that he was a soft ball of repressed romance and sentimentality. He also was the perfect balance between soft and more… _hot, or spicy._ She loved it and above all she loved _him._

"Leila?" 

She opened her eyes and blinked a couple of times. 

"Sorry, were you sleeping?" 

"Non, I was just… resting." 

Lucien turned his head to give her a kiss on her forehead. 

"Fair enough. I need to feed the cats so I need to get up." He said. 

"Oh, sorry." She unstuck herself from him and he put the sketchbook down. 

"Perle? Les enfants? À table!"

[Perle? Kids? Dinner is served!]

Soon followed a herd of fluff on a concerto on meow major…! Leila watched the cats follow their master with a smile on her lips. She grabbed the sketchbook again and flipped the pages to draw Lucien again when-

She gasped and couldn't see it but the Frenchman was smirking as he put the cat food in the different bowls. 

"Lucien…?" 

He made sure the cats had enough water and came back to her. 

"Oui?" He said, feigning innocence. 

"Did you draw that?!" She asked, her eyes still stuck on the page. 

"Unless someone snatched the sketchbook off my very hands…" He said as he sat down on the carpet next to her again. 

"B-but…" She tripped over her own words as her fingers slid on the drawing. She felt hot to her ears. "How…? I thought you couldn't draw?"

"I never said so. And I actually did say the opposite, if you remember correctly." He said, looking as smug as he possibly could. 

Leila's eyes were on the sketchbook. It was two pages covered in drawings of… _her_. 

"I did say that-"

_"If you could draw, you would fill pages with drawings of me, as naked as you could draw."_ She cut him.

"There you go then, I think I didn't lie." 

Her eyes never left the drawing. She was portrayed lying on her back, a hand on her chest and another between her legs, hiding herself. She was wearing a wide smile, her eyes closed. He stared at her, momentarily confused. She seemed petrified. 

When she finally raised her eyes to his, after what seemed like eternity, she leapt at him. 

"Lei-hm!" 

The Frenchman fell from sitting to lying, his back on the carpet. Leila was drowning him, he was delighted. After violently pushing her lips on him, she withdrew to catch her breath. She was on all four, her face above his.

Lucien chuckled from the bottom of his throat. He put a hand on his eyes and his chuckle gradually transformed in a full-blown laughter. Leila started laughing too and put her head on his chest but he was laughing too hard! 

"Why are you laughing?" She managed to ask as the Frenchman wiped some tears in the corner of his eyes. 

"I-I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… yahahahaa!" 

And there he was again, gone for a second round of his uncontrollable laughter. Leila rolled her eyes up and couldn't help but join him. After a good minute and more happy tears, he finally seemed to calm down. He put his hands on his chest and exhaled in a long sigh. 

"Ooh, mon Dieu, I can't recall the last time I laughed that much. Sorry, mon amour…" He wrapped her in his arms and put her head under his chin. "You are just way too adorable for your own good, and you make me feel so young."

She raised her head and looked down at him with a smile. 

"So now you make fun of me?" 

"Non, pardon, that was not my intention." 

"Hm, hard to believe."

"Oh come on…!" He said. 

She smirked and lied on his stomach next to him on the carpet. 

"You'll have to make up for it, Monsieur!" 

Lucien lifted his head off the ground and raised his index finger. 

"And I might have just that! Put on a coat and follow me!"

He stood up and walked to the bedroom. When he came back, he was carrying a thick bed cover on his shoulder.

" _Allez!_ As your dear Snoop would say, _'Chop, chop!'_ "

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Thank you!

Leave a comment!

See you!

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	45. Chapter 45

"Ready?" 

Lucien had put on his coat and was in front of the door, the thick duvet under his arm. 

"Oui, we can go." Leila answered. 

"You're not curious where I'm taking you?" 

Leila came closer to her lover and put a hand on his cheek, bushing him on top of the mask with her gloved fingers. 

"I don't mind as long as I'm with you." 

He smiled and bent down. She took on the hint and pushing herself on the tip of her toes, she kissed his lips quickly. 

" _Allons-y."_

_[Let's go.]_

He opened the door and let her go first. 

_\-- Sniper's van --_

Sniper recognised the knock. 

"Come in, Princess!" 

"Think again, _Snoop!_ It's the Prince!" Lucien opened the door and pushed it, letting Leila go in first. 

"Snoop!" 

She threw herself in his arms and he hugged her dearly, not forgetting to wiggle his eyebrows at the Frenchman to mock him. The latter smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Good to see ya, Leila."

"Yes!"

" _And it's ok to see you I guess…"_ He said to the Frenchman, who extended his hand to shake it. Leila took the duvet off his hand. 

The Australian shook Lucien's hand and pulled on it, hugging him dearly too. 

"Bushm-!"

"Shut up and say hello like a friend! You need to get some manners, I swear…!" 

Leila smiled tenderly. 

"So… Are you going to tell me why we came here and why we needed this?" She asked. 

"Oh, you didn't tell her?" Sniper asked, parting from the embrace. 

"Non, I prefer to make it a surprise." 

"Alroight! Get back outside, I'll show ya…!" 

Lawrence grabbed his duvet and his owl in the shoe box and exited the van. 

"So, where are we going with this all? I'm really confused!"

"Good!"

"Très bien!" 

[Very well!]

Both the Frenchie and the Aussie answered at the same time. 

"Follow me." 

Leila watched as the tall man with the sideburns climbed the ladder that was behind his van to get on top of it. 

"After you." Lucien said while taking the duvet of Leila's hands. She climbed up and took the blanket off his lover for him to climb. 

The sun had set long ago, leaving a sky as dark as blue could get, sprinkled with countless stars. It was quite cold which explained the duvets. The moon hung high and was surrounded by a lighter halo, providing enough light for the mercenaries to see where they were. They all removed their shoes and sat down.

Leila realised that Lawrence had spread a carpet on the van's roof and there were mugs and a thermos there, as well as biscuits. 

"Oh… Did you prepare all that?" She asked. 

"Yep!" He proudly asked. "Not that pompous Frenchman o'yours who could take you to see the stars, eh?"

"Bushman…!" 

They sat down and Lucien put the duvet on her shoulders, Lawrence put his own on his shoulders, covering his back. Leila was sandwiched between the two of them. She couldn't be better surrounded. 

"Help yerself to the bikkies. And there's coffee in the thermos, decaff' cause I want to be able to sleep."

"Thank you, Lawrence, but I am fine." The Frenchman coldly said. 

"Oh come on!”

“Leave it to me, Lawrence.” Leila said, grabbing a box of biscuits. She went for the dark chocolate ones and opened it, handing one to her lover. He shivered. 

“Oh, tu as froid mon amour?”

[Oh, are you cold my love?]

She covered him with the blanket and he snuggled up against her. 

"Actually…" He started and moved Leila so that she sat between his legs, leaning her back on his chest. Lucien closed his thighs and wrapped his arms around her, putting his head on her shoulder. He was hugging her like he's never hugged a teddy bear before, clinging to her dearly under the safety of the blanket.

She put a biscuit over her shoulder, in front of his lips. He smiled and bit half of it, to leave the other half for her.

"Hm… It's not that bad…" He said.

Leila ate the other half and smiled, seeing the Australian roll his eyes. 

"Of course they're not bad! And they come from home."

"Australia?"

"Yeah." 

The Frenchman took another biscuit and put it in front of Leila's lips. 

"Ouch! You bit me!" 

"Did I?" She asked, feigning innocence.

"Oui!" 

"And you're complaining?" She insisted. 

"Well, in other contexts, I wouldn't…" He kissed her cheek. 

Lawrence smiled, petting his owl. 

"Look up, mates…" 

All three of them raised their heads. 

"That's the sight I see before sleeping, every night."

They took some time to appreciate the view. Lucien's eyes went from the sky to his lover's eyes. The stars were shining there too, in the depth of her irises, in the infinite, curved abyss of her pupils. They shimmered, scintillating between her eyelashes and he blinked slowly. 

They were metres above the ground, on the soft carpet, and he had her in the safety of his arms. Lucien was covered by the softness of the duvet, while Leila swam in the warmth of the Frenchman's arms. He hugged her tighter, squeezing her stomach, and nuzzled in her neck, closing his eyes. Leila raised her arm and put her gloved hand on his cheek, on top of the mask's fabric. 

"You're not looking at the stars, Lu'." She said. 

"Yes, I am, I am looking at the brightest and most beautiful one."

"Pfff…" The Australian mocked. 

"Stay out of that Bushman!"

"Oh come on!" 

"You know what? Let Leila decide…!" The Frenchman answered confidently. 

Leila turned to face her lover and pulled his head in for a tender kiss on the lips. 

"We aren't fightin' equally, it's unfair…" Lawrence said. 

When their lips parted, Lucien put his hand below Leila's chin and pulled her in, just for a quick peck. Her insides were melting and she was breathing fast. He smiled arrogantly. 

"I'm sorry, Lawrence, but…" Leila started, her eyes still riveted on her lover's "but there is one man I cannot resist." 

Lawrence smiled. 

"What about you, Bushman? Got anyone in sight?" The Frenchman asked as Leila snuggled between his legs again.

"Nah, no one."

"What are you looking for? Maybe we can help?" 

"Bah, I don't know, I think I won't look for anybody for a while."

"Oh, I see…" Lucien said. 

"What?"

"You are still healing from a past heartbreak."

"Tsss…" 

Silence fell. The Australian removed his hat and let his fingers run through his hair. 

"Maybe. But y'know what?" Lawrence asked. 

"What?" Leila answered. 

"I'm happy fer you two, yeah, even for you Lucien…!" 

"Thank you, dear." Leila answered, feeling her lovers finger clench around hers through the gloves. 

The Australian filled three mugs with coffee and passed them on.

"Merci. We should thank you too, Lawrence, for letting us enjoy this beautiful night too." 

"Bah, it's nothin'..." 

Silence fell again, but not a heavy one, no. Lawrence was scratching the top of the young owl's head, keeping it warm between his hands. The two French lovebirds were watching the stars, their chests rising and falling in sync, their hearts beating the same melody, one of trust and calm. Lucien was rocking Leila in his arms, left and right, slowly, their duvet on his shoulders and God's blanket high above their heads. 

He hummed a song, whispering the song in her ear. She melted further in his arms and he felt her ribcage inflate and her head lean back on him.

The Frenchman looked up at each star with a mellow smile, one by one. He was asking them a favour with his eyes. 

_Please._

He was begging. 

_Please, as long as you shine,..._

He closed his eyes to hear his heart say the words in the corridor of his mind. 

_As long as you shine, please make it last._

The Frenchman opened his eyes and sighed. Leila smiled.

_“Tout va bien?”_

_[Is everything alright?]_

“Oui, I am just realising something.”

“What is it?”

“It’s the first time I take my time with a woman.”

“Give me a minute mates, I’ll be right back.” The Australian cut them and climbed down the ladder. 

"So you're taking your time with me, hm?" Leila asked.

"Oui."

"What do you feel?" She asked.

"Ah, very good question…." He started, pulling her closer to his chest still. "Mon amour, it is the best way to savour you: I get all your flavours, they enchant my tongue and palate, I see all your colours, they bewitch me. And I feel oh so lucky. I cannot possibly get enough of you. You would think that at some point I would have seen it all and lose that curiosity to explore you. But non. The more I know you, the more I _want_ to know you." 

He paused to catch his breath, leaving another kiss on her cheek, nibbling softly.

"I feel like I am living things I should have been through a good couple of decades ago, but I hadn't. Sadly enough, I've never felt these things you create in me. This itching inside that only your presence, your touch, your lips can chase away. I had assumed that at my old age, I had seen it all. But you taught me that it wasn't the case."

"You must have felt something with… well, Jérémy's mother." She answered. 

"Well, yes, I thought so. I thought that…" His fingers clenched between hers. 

"Look, if you can't talk about it, it's fine." She turned to face him and put a hand on his cheek. 

"Mon amour, mon plus beau, I can understand that it hurts. Don't force yourself." 

[My love, my most beautiful]

"Non." He raised his eyes and two ice drops shone to her eyes. "I… She left me because… One of her friends reported to her that she had seen me in a nightclub being, well, quite _zealous_ with a woman."

"Ah, I see." 

"I was on a mission, I hadn't yet resigned, I needed to finish this, I was so close! But of course, she was in the early days of her pregnancy and it was absolutely out of the question that I put her or the baby in danger."

"So what did you do?" 

Lawrence appeared again. 

"Here you go, I brought a couple of pillows, it's more comfy." 

"Ah, thanks!" 

"Merci." 

Lucien put his pillow under his head and laid down. Leila put her head in the hollow of his neck and slid a leg between his. 

Lawrence laid the other way around, letting them have some privacy. He put the baby owl on his chest. The young bird jumped happily and nuzzled in the warmth of the Australian's hands.

The mercenaries were watching the stars shimmering in the cold of the night.

_"Je lui ai fait croire qu'elle avait raison et elle est partie."_

_[I made her believe she was right and she left me.]_

Leila's head jumped and she looked down at him. 

"What?!" 

Lucien looked away, his breath accelerated. 

"Are you serious _mon amour?"_ She asked but he didn't answer and still looked away from her. 

"Lucien?" 

He gently pushed her away and stood up. Leila watched him with wide eyes and an open mouth. 

"Merci Lawrence."

"Y-yeah, no worries…?" The Australian watched, confused as his friend slid down the ladder and went back to the base. "Did I do something?" He then asked Leila. 

"Non, _I_ might have… I'm sorry Snoop, I'll need to go and see what's wrong with him."

"Of course, get down the ladder, I'll pass you the cover."

_\-- Spies' room --_

Leila opened the front door as silently as possible. The flat was all dark. She removed her shoes and put the duvet on the sofa, along with her mask, her gloves and her jacket. She undid her tie, started unbuttoning her shirt and walked to the bedroom door. 

She put her fingertips on the wooden door and pushed slowly. She knew the door wouldn't creak and by that point, her eyes had got used to the darkness. 

Before she could fully process what her eyes were laid on, she put a hand on her mouth. 

Lucien was laying on the bed, on his side, still in his mask and clothes, hugging Perle and surrounded by his kittens. His body was lying motionless. Motionless…?

Non. She saw his chest contract erratically and automatically understood. It brought her back to the day that he had found her lying in bed, hugging his pillow and drenching it with her tears. He was doing the same, only in Perle's arms. 

The feline raised her eyes and Leila put a finger on her lips as if to ask her to stay silent. Perle trotted away from her master's arms and her children followed her, their fur flowed between Leila's legs as they escaped to the living room. 

Lucien hadn't protested when his cat went away. He just buried his head in his pillow to smother his cries, his empty arms still where Perle had been a moment ago.

Leila took his pyjamas in one hand and put it on the bed, far from him. He didn't feel it. She sat down, behind his back. 

"Lucien?"

His whole body tensed, his muscles paralysed by the horror and shame. He didn't want her to see him like that. It broke him further. He should have gone somewhere else to cry. He should have hid somewhere else. But this wasn't his base and he didn't have his own space. He also knew that the only person he could cry to was Perle, so it had made sense to find her and stay with her. 

"Mon amour?" Leila repeated but to no avail. 

She hopped off the bed and went around to face him. His face was still buried in the pillow. Silently, without adding a word, she unlaced his shoes and removed them. His feet had been dangling off the bed but as soon as they were free, he curled them on himself. She wanted to help him get a change but realised it wouldn't be possible. So she dismissed the idea. 

Instead, Leila went behind his back and spooned him, lacing her arms around his chest. She felt it contract erratically still. He was still crying. Leila brushed her hands to his neck from behind, blindly, and undid the knot of his tie for him to breathe better. She then undid the first few buttons of his shirt. 

He wanted to apologise to Leila. He felt miserable, he shouldn't be crying. _He_ should be the one to dry her tears, not the other way around. But he couldn't help it, each time he thought back about what he had done with Jérémy's mother, he cried. That moment he made her believe that lie, that moment he chose to protect her and their still unborn baby, that was when it had all started to go wrong in his life. He had been so close to the _happy ever after,_ and managed to ruin it all, on his own. 

He was doubly ashamed now. Ashamed of his behaviour back then and of his own present self, crying in Leila's arms. And she must feel it, with her palms on his chest, massaging him to try and comfort him. He also felt her cheek on his back. She was holding him tightly. 

Lucien tried to steady his breath. The room was completely dark and silent. Not even the crackling of the flames in the fireplace could be heard from their bed. Non, they were in complete darkness and silence, through the night. Nothing was even pretending to be alive. 

Leila slid her hands delicately up, to find the edge of his mask. She wanted to remove it for him. But damn, was it hard…! He understood and pushed her hands away. She was taken aback and thought she had gone too far. But no, he removed it himself and dropped in on the floor. 

Lucien turned his head to get some fresh air. He was still giving his back to Leila, he didn't want her to see him in that pathetic state. His eyes were screwed shut as tears continued to flow silently. 

It broke her heart immensely. How could a man who devoted his life to protect his people crumble into tears…? Obviously, it was only natural. He was a human being and despite his thick mask of arrogance, Lucien was a sensitive man. He was romantic, affectionate, and considerate of others around him. He wouldn't let it show like others, but that was precisely because he was unlike others. As Marc had told her, years and years ago, in front of that wall of portraits, _"there was a man who stood out a thousand times more than I did"_...

And yet there he was now, that legend, that man in his prime, the most handsome man she had ever seen, melting his sorrows in the dark. And it hit her. He used to live alone, without her, so each time he went through these moments, he would do so _alone._ Well, with Perle. But no one was there for him. God only knew how many times that happened, him crying in the dark alone. 

And then what? Get up, wear the mask of arrogance again and walk away, pretending nothing happened? 

Leila unbuttoned his shirt further and slid her hands on his naked skin, through his chest hair. She massaged his chest, lightly scratching it just to be there for him. 

"Lucien, mon amour… I think you've been extremely brave in that choice."

"Non. I'm a coward." He responded, still not facing her.

"Non! How can you say that?" 

"I should have been honest, I should have resigned earlier, I-"

She put her index finger on his lips. 

"Mon amour, you made the hardest and best decision. You put your own self aside for their good, hers and your baby's."

"I left her alone while she was pregnant."

"To protect her, to put her away from harm's way. You didn't do that because it was _fun_ , you did it for their safety. You, Lucien, you are more selfless than anyone can see, including yourself."

He rolled to face her and buried his head in her chest. That way, she still couldn't see his face. She wrapped her arms around his neck and she felt his nails dig in her back. He was clinging hard. 

"Leila… I'm such a failure…" 

"Non…" 

She felt him cry again, her chest dripping with the waters of his distress. Leila let her fingers run through his hair and massaged slowly, leaving a kiss on his head from time to time. 

"Mon amour, you are far from a failure. You… You are a hero, _my_ hero. You know, when I used to go to the Ministry, I would sometimes go where the portraits are. I would sit on an armchair there and just stare… There were loads of them and I remember staring at the faces of those people who made France a safe place."

The Frenchman sniffed as he tried to calm down. 

"There used to be only men there. So I'd watch and stare. And I remember very clearly looking at one more than the others… He had those mysterious light blue eyes, almost grey. His cheekbones were jutting just what they should, his jawline was smooth. He had a slim nose and lips that looked like mine would melt if they touched them."

"Hm." 

"Lucien, the day you made that choice. Do you remember it?" 

"Of course."

"You made the choice of a man who seeks only to protect his family, a father in one word, an exemplary father who isn't scared to sacrifice everything he has for the well-being of his family."

"Leila?"

"Oui?"

"I'm sorry."

She kissed his head on his hair again.

"You shouldn't be. It's a miracle. You know, I have seen my fellow spies, people of my generation and older. They come back from the field and they can't eat, sleep or do anything normally. You and I are not like that. We're just… We chose to not kill people when we could spare them and that meant that we don't have those lives on our conscience. All we have to carry is the burden of our own mistakes, not of our hierarchy."

"Hm, you're right."

"And in your case, as I explained, it's _not_ a mistake even if it's heartbreaking. You did the _right_ thing… Lucien?" 

"Hm?"

"Lucien, do you understand?"

"I… I think I do." 

He wiped his tears with the back on his hand and looked up at her. 

"Ça va?" She asked. 

[Are you alright?]

"Oui, merci."

[Yes, thanks.]

He cupped her face and put his lips on hers. He had needed exactly that. Someone to talk him out his distress, someone to bring him warmth and peace with soft-spoken words. How did Leila know? He couldn't tell, but he felt better. He had listened to her and learnt a lot. Lucien felt like he had someone to share his misery with and who wouldn't look at him badly for it. 

He hissed as her hands lifted the panes of his shirt and slid on his sides. She drank his soft cry like the most expensive wine. His lips parted from hers in a loud lapping noise. 

"Leila…"

"Oui?" 

She was looking at him curiously, with her adorable big dark eyes opened round. 

"Where have you been all those years?" 

His eyes were swollen and red, as if he had smoked a thousand cigarettes. He was caressing her face, her cheeks, her lips…

"Waiting for you to find me." She answered, smiling. 

Lucien smiled. 

"Always the right answer…" He said and she winked at him. 

"Of course, mon amour." 

She sat up and grabbed his pyjama that was on the bed. 

"Here, get a change. You don't want to sleep in your nice suit." She said. 

"What if I find a compromise…?" 

He slid a hand behind her back, under her shirt.

"What do you suggest?" She asked. 

"Your lips made me…" He pushed her to roll her on her back. "... _hungry."_

"Did they?" She asked, feigning innocence.

"Oui. Here is my idea… What if _I_ undress you and _you_ undress _me_ …?" He went to her neck. 

"Oh, wait, how did you go from depressed to…?"

"To wanting you? That's all your fault…"

" _My_ fault?! I just tried to cheer you up!"

He stopped kissing her neck and looked at her. 

"Oui, but you made me realise something. Now that I have found you, I won't let go of you, I won't make mistakes, no torture compares to having you far from me. You are too important. I have you and I will enjoy you, _to the full_ , for as long as I have left."

"Mmh… _Please do…"_

  
 _ **\-- Author's notes --**_  
  
  
Thanks for reading!I can't wait for your comments!  
  
See y'all for 46!  
  
  
  
  
  



	46. Chapter 46

“Leila?”

“Oui?”

She was lying on her back while Lucien was on his side, like a Greek God, his head propped on his palm, his elbow on the bed. 

"You are remarkable." 

"So are you."

His fingers went to the rest of the buttons on her shirt and mindlessly undid them.

"It's quite peculiar." He said.

"What?"

"I both want you so much I could pounce on you and devour you and at the same time, I'd love to take my time, enjoy every square centimetre of your body.”

His index finger slid from her abdomen up to her chest. She shivered and he smiled. But she took his hand and put it to her lips, left a shy kiss on his knuckles. The Frenchman melted. 

“What would you prefer?” He asked.

“I don’t know really. Both are very tempting.” She sat up and undid his tie completely before throwing it away.

“Not going to tie me this time?” He asked.

She blushed.

“Unless you want it, no, I thought we had explored that before. Do you want me to?”

“Non, it doesn’t work if it’s not spontaneous."

"So Monsieur is a man of spontaneity?" She asked, raising a malicious eyebrow, as she opened his shirt and pushed it over his shoulders. It fell down to his elbows. He finished to remove it and threw it away.

"I like to organise and plan things in advance, I like to have things in my control…" The Frenchman opened the panes of her shirt, revealing her white bra. "But when it comes to the world of the night, under the sheets, in the secret of the bedroom, non. I like this to be spontaneous, the fruit of your or my impulse on the spur of the moment. I like to take you on an adventure where I myself don't really know where I'm going."

"Mh, I like the sound of that, Monsieur…"

Her hand went to his chest and she caressed it slowly. 

"I'm glad to hear it. But do you know what?"

"What?" She asked. 

" _You_ made me discover that."

"I did what?"

"You, Mademois- _Madame,"_ He corrected himself and she nodded. "You made me discover this, at my old age. You made me discover the wonders and marvels of… well… making love slowly to say it bluntly. Unravelling you, layer by layer…" 

Lucien bent down and dived in her neck and peppered kissed here and there. She moaned lazily as she pulled him to herself, entangling her fingers through his hair. 

"Oh, Lucien…"

"Savour you like I would a pastry from a foreign country…" 

His hand slid behind her back and he undid her bra with his eyes never leaving hers. She felt it and shivered under his smug smile. 

"Discovering your secrets, your hidden tastes, those that you reserve only to _me…"_

She bit her lip. 

"Lucien…?"

She sat up to remove her shirt and he helped her out of it, holding her bra against her chest with one arm. He looked at her eyes, the slow flutter of her eyelashes unveiled dreamy eyes. She lied down again and stared in his eyes. The Frenchman put his fingers on her lips. He caressed them from the tips of his fingers, his eyes almost crossing. He bent his head down to rest his nose against hers. They exchanged their breaths, his air becoming hers and vice versa. She closed her eyes, feeling his fingers trace shapes on her cheeks, following her smooth jawline. 

He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. 

"Mon amour… Leila…"

He whispered and the words burnt her insides and her ears rang so very loudly. His fingers slid along her neck, her shoulder and delicately pulled down the straps of her bra, one after the other. 

"You look like an angel…"

She removed her hand from her chest to let him have his way. He helped her out of her bra but left it on her chest. 

"Give me an instant." He whispered and she nodded, opening her eyes. He went to the bedroom door and closed it. The lights had been off and that was just perfect. He hated having a private moment under too bright a light. Non, it had to be a stolen moment, in the dark, out of anyone's sight, even his own. That way, he would only focus on the rest of his senses. 

Lucien came back to the bed and caressed Leila's face. 

"Mon ange à moi, celui que Dieu a envoyé, juste pour moi."

[My own angel, that God sent, just for me.]

She smiled. 

"I am your angel, and you are my devil." 

"Am I?"

"Tempting me all the time, cunningly making me lose my head and listen to my impulses only."

He giggled from the bottom of his throat, a devilish chuckle that he knew had its effect on her. He put his index between her chest and her bra, in the middle. Raising a devious eyebrow, he pulled his forearm up, dragged the bra with him and threw it away. It fell on the floor, next to their shirts. 

He looked down at her and wiggled his eyebrows. Lucien could hear her heartbeat from very far away. 

"Stop it…!" She pleaded.

"Why? What happens if I go on?" He asked as his head bent for him to meet her chest. His lips kissed tenderly, nibbled at the skin there as he felt her arms close around his head, her heartbeat drumming a samba…! 

"Mmmh… God only knows what will happ-mh! Oh!" 

He decided to taste her better. He lapped at the sensitive skin there, biting it ever so delicately and tugging at it. He knew how fragile it was and he knew that the line between pleasure and pain was very thin there. But experienced and skilled as he was, he stayed on the right side of that line. She adored it. She didn't have to stay on her toes and make sure he wasn't hurting her, she _knew_ that he knew exactly what he was doing. 

"Lucien, Lucien, Lucien…" 

He raised his head to her and smiled. 

"Oui mon amour?" 

"Viens…"

[Come here.]

She pulled him and with her arms still locked around his head, she kissed him passionately. Her lips played with his, pulling sometimes, or simply enjoying their softness and warmth. 

Lucien wanted to plant a knee between her legs to tower her comfortably but before he could do anything, he felt a hand on his belt. He smiled. Leila was undoing it for him as she was kissing him. Did she think she _alone_ could do that? Pfff, easy! The Frenchman's hand slid on her chest and stomach before finding her belt and undoing it. 

They took an instant to remove their trousers and throw them out of the way before diving to each other's lips again. He put a hand on her jaw, his fingers in her hair, his thumb on her cheek and pulled her face to him. 

"I don't know what I did to deserve you, Leila." 

She smirked. 

"Neither do I, Monsieur… And yet, here we are."

"I'm not complaining."

"Lucien?" She looked in his eyes pleadingly. 

The Frenchman was familiar with the English expression "puppy eyes", but hers were more than just that. She looked at him like a panther. He could feel the danger of loving such a woman, the tension, but also, the experience of a very skilled man-hunter. It had the best effect on him, knowing that _she_ , who had seduced more men than there were stars in the night sky, the most sought after woman he could think of, _was his._

She was a killer lady made for the lady killer he was.

"Oui, mon amour?" He answered, still not wanting to part from her. Lucien laid his head on her chest. 

"Do you remember when you told me to never leave your arms?" 

"Oui, I do." 

"My turn to make you promise, please."

He raised his head off her and stared in her eyes lovingly.

"Lucien, _please never leave my arms."_

She was asking with all of her being. Her voice, her hands cupping his face, her big dark eyes. He saw them only glistening in the night. 

"I won't. I love you too much, I can't imagine waking up without you and I'm too old and tired. Non, I won't be the one to part ways with you." 

"Are you implying that _I_ would be the one to do that?" 

"Non… I mean… I hope you won't."

"Lucien, your name suits you more than you could think."

"What?" He asked. 

"It comes from the Latin _lux_ , which means _light_ , right?"

"Yes, it does, but why do you say that?"

She pulled him such that his ear was next to her lips and whispered. 

" _Because you have become the light of my life. I would never ever want to leave you. Never have I felt half of the shivers that your eyes give me, never have I felt loved and safe. And then I met you and for the first time, I fell in love."_

He melted on the inside and bit his lip. He turned his head to take her lips. 

"I love you." He said. 

"Et moi, je t'aime." She answered.

[And me, I love you.]

"I won't leave you, Lucien. You're everything. You're the morning that I wake up to, the day that I spend and the night that I sleep."

"Non, that would be you, quite literally." He answered. 

"What?"

"If I'm not too rusty in Arabic, Leila does mean _night_ , am I correct?"

"Oui."

" _You_ are the night that I never want to see end. Your eyes shimmer like twin stars and if I get too close to them, I melt."

She bit her lip and hugged him dearly. He held her in his arms as she put her head below his chin, sliding a leg between his.

"Lucien?"

"Oui?"

Silence fell and the Frenchman raised an eyebrow. 

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Oui… I just don't have the words, sorry." 

He smiled. 

"Last time I didn't have the words, I remember _someone_ told me something."

She frowned. 

"What was it?" 

"I will tell you that story if you will."

"Sure." She was listening carefully. 

Lucien had slid his fingers in her curls and played with them under his fingers. 

"It was months ago now, but I remember it very clearly. I was in the middle of the desert, in the night. It was dark and empty and I had parked my car on the side of the road."

Leila lightly scratched his chest. He loved that feeling, had he been a cat, he would have purred under her fingers.

"The Moon wasn't whole but it was enough for me to see. I wasn't alone that day, I had someone with me. Leila, she was the most stunning woman I have ever met."

Her eyebrows jumped and she felt herself go hot. She was feeling something new now. Was it _jealousy…?_

"She was wearing a sleeveless dress that had a slit on the side and when I saw it, my vision tunnelled down to it as my mind started to fabricate wild images of me and her. I was seeing myself cut that dress more, reveal her black shining tights covering her long slim legs… My mind showed me ripping it all apart and away with my blade before finally feeling her skin. Ah, I should have said that we had danced the tango that night."

Leila's eyes snapped wide.

"Mmmh, you should have seen her, the most elegant woman I have ever laid my eyes on. She followed my lead effortlessly, as if she was reading my mind and knew exactly what I would do. Dancing the tango can go two ways in my experience. First, it can disgust you of your partner for even if you are the best dancer the Earth has seen, if you get a partner who's not on that level, it's all ruined."

He paused to catch his breath. Leila had closed her eyes as his voice resonated in his ribcage, rocking her. She could feel the vibrations of his words everywhere. 

"And that night, I discovered that there is another possible scenario when you dance such a refined and intense dance as the Tango. If you find the right partner, if she follows you like your shadow, really making one with you, then it is one of the best ways to spend an evening with a woman. And boy, what a woman…! But let me go back to my main point. After the dinner and dancing, we were in the middle of the desert. Why, you ask? Well, because my body was sending me signals that I did not yet understand. What was all this? The butterflies in my stomach? The hot punch in my guts when my eyes met hers? And the wild images that my head was showing me!"

Lucien put his other hand in hers, entangling his fingers with hers. Leila was smiling. She understood that he was talking about the night that he taken her out to the French restaurant…

"I saw her in my arms again, like when we had danced. The way that she had leant her head against my chest made me feel stronger than the most powerful king on Earth! She did in one simple, wordless gesture what no one and nothing had done before. She made me feel _like a man._ "

He smiled to himself.

"I hoped that she hadn't felt my heart jump up and pump hard under her head. _That_ was also something new. But there we were in the middle of nowhere, her and me. She asked me what was wrong with me and like you a moment ago, I just didn't have the words. So she said something that I shall say to you tonight. Something that helped me convey what I felt, although not with words. She said _'show me.'."_

"What did you then do?" She asked playfully. 

"What I had wanted to do for a long, long time. I held her close and trying not to listen to my fears too much, I leant in and shared _my first kiss_." 

"Your first kiss?"

"Oui, the first that _I_ wanted to give that much. The first that counts. So Leila, if you don't find the words, _show me_ what you mean."

She raised her head and went to his ear. 

_"I want you too much…"_

He smiled. How sensitive she was to his speeches puzzled him. He was just telling her what he felt, he wasn't even trying to make it sound particularly good. But maybe that was the point. Maybe that's what she fell for, something that he hadn't shared with anyone else in his life: _his honesty._

"I am all yours." He answered and kissed her cheek. 

The prude attention sent her on orbit. It was the delicateness, the gentleness, _the respect._ She sighed and eventually smiled, facing him. 

"You tempt me way too much for my own good, you know that?" 

"So do you. And at my old age, it is difficult to get me in the state that you do…! But please, I am yours and yours only. Proceed at your leisure."

He loved that he could just abandon himself to her. That was how much he trusted her. He knew that he was in safe and loving hands, hands that caressed his skin in a way that none other did.

"And I should add something before you start." He said and she looked at him. " _Don't ask, just enjoy."_

She bit her lip and rolled her eyes, feeling her stomach melt and sink down. She towered him and kissed his lips. This time though, she didn't wait to _add the French to the kiss_. She had wanted it too much.

They rolled on the bed, left and right, the bedsheets swooshing under their fluid movements, their legs lacing and intertwining. For a moment she was on top of him but not for long. He rolled over and got back to his position of control, kissing her neck. 

Both were moaning and breathing with their mouths open. When Lucien came to be on top of her, she felt _it_ through the fabric of his underwear, on her abdomen. The man wanted her and she melted. She slid a hand down on his back and she pushed the elastic waistband of his boxer shorts down on one side. She then did it symmetrically on the other side. He growled and bit her neck. 

Leila tried to push it further down but she couldn't reach it. It didn't matter as he did it himself and threw it away. Lucien then eagerly did the same for her and smirking he said.

"This pair shall live…" 

"Do you prefer it over the one that you destroyed?" 

"Non, I liked the other one better. It looked more sophisticated."

She chuckled and pulled him back to herself. He laid on her and now, both were completely naked. The contact of their bare skin against each other's was more than exciting to them both. Lucien went back to her neck, which he found she was most sensitive to. He managed to pull a wide variety of sounds from her. He felt her fingers scratch his scalp through his hair and he loved it. He was hungry and trying to devour her while she tried to hold him back, seemingly.

"Je t'aime et je t'adore…!" He whispered in her neck, his breath tickling her where his tongue had been instants before.

[I love and adore you…!]

Without even realising it, he had started to roll his hips against her, his masculinity ready and eager. She moaned so loud at the contact of his length against her most sensitive parts! His ears burnt under her voice and he did it a couple of times. That, and biting and licking her neck made her lose her mind. 

"Mon Dieu, Lucien!"

She felt his _burning desire_ against her and it was hot, far from soft, and throbbing. She lifted her hips to get more of it in contact with herself as she moved up and down his length. 

"Ah…"

Lucien had started sweating long ago but the friction made the heat unbearable. He buried his head in her neck and panted to catch his breath. He weakened and lowered his body on her, hugging her tightly. They were chest against chest, and _masculinity_ against _feminity._

He slowly rolled his hips down before rolling them up again. Lucien smiled, his eyes closed and his head burrowing in her neck. As he rolled them up again, it felt much slicker. 

_Parfait._ He thought. 

She wanted him as much as he wanted her. He slid his hands in her head and put his forehead on hers, breathing fast. He had planted his elbows right and left from her.

"Leila…" 

"Oui?" She looked up at him. 

"Tu me rends fou."

[You drive me insane.]

"Pardon…" She apologised. 

"Non." He smiled. "I love it."

She felt _it_ throb against her again and he slid it down. She inhaled, as if she was about to dive underwater, as she knew what was about to happen. He looked down at her. 

"Relax, you know I won't hurt you." 

"I'm not apprehensive. I'm… I'm looking forward to it."

He took her lips and rolled his hips forward. 

"Mmh! Lu-hm!!"

She felt him. Again, he was rolling his hips so slowly… It felt like a soft massage. It was seductive, slick, it felt _passionate._ Lucien's lips never left hers and his hips worked in rhythm with the lust she had put in him, like a seed that grew under the sunlight of her eyes and the water of…

"Leila…" 

He felt her work with her hips too. She wanted it, she wanted it too! It filled him with a mix of pride, joy and his ardor made his vision blur as the sweat dripped on his brow. 

Leila felt it all. He was being slow but that didn't mean it lacked anything, on the contrary. She felt it all so much better! He grasped her hair firmly as he growled and she rolled her eyes up. 

He discovered a new style and that suited him much better. Oui he was old now, with tired eyes, grey and white hair, but he was Lucien, the lady killer. The man who could make a woman fall to her knees with as much as a glance to her. He was proud, confident and age hadn't taken his elegance form him, on the contrary. As he gently thrusted his hips back and forth, he felt more and more proud. He was a man, he made sense _as a man_. 

Leila slid her hands to his back and gripped there, with her gentle claws, leaving the marks of her desire there, on his skin. She was discovering that she loved it slow too. It gave her the time to fully appreciate everything that was happening down South. She could take the time to feel it, appreciate all of Lucien's affection. 

Like him she had had countless _nightly encounters_ before. But he was inventing it all again and anew. She was experiencing so many new sensations, new tickles, new tingling feelings inside. She put a hand on the nape of his neck and pulled him to herself, their lips crashing softly in a moan from both parts. Hers was the sweetest melody to his ears, and his made her mouth vibrate, sending shivers down her spine and through her limbs. 

Their eyes were screwed shut and their lips parted soon, not because they didn't adore the feeling, but because they needed air! A lot of it! 

_Oh et puis merde!_

_[Oh and fuck it!]_

They both thought. If they died of asphyxiation there and then, so be it! His tongue found hers and danced with it. Oh she was good with hers. She teased him, making him groan of frustration each time she disconnected from his wet touch. And she felt it down too, he _liked it._

"Oh mon Dieu…" He said before diving in again. 

She proudly smiled and pushed him to roll him over, their bodies never breaking apart from each other's. Leila thought he might do with a break, he had been doing all the work. She wrapped her fingers around his neck and her pelvis waved gently. It was so sweet and tender, so very light. It made him think of the smoke of his cigarette gently whirling above him when he had one between his lips. 

But _he wasn't the one to have something between his lips…_

Leila's moans were almost uninterrupted. Each thrust showed her the stars of the most pleasant galaxy on her shut eyelids, constellations of pleasure. She came closer to the fall, she could feel it. She was about to say it when-

"Mon amour…!"

Lucien had got some strength again, just enough to pull her against his chest. She curled there, holding on to his chest with her fingers, clawing to dear life itself. His left hand went to her back to pull her as close as possible to him while his right one went further down and grasped her backside firmly. 

"Oh-nh!"

It had sent a bolt of electricity from where Lucien was sending those waves of pleasure everywhere. She clawed in harder, her head right below his chin, biting her lip firmly. 

"L-Lucien… Je vais…"

[L-Lucien… I will…]

The Frenchman was the one to dictate the rhythm again. 

"Moi aussi…"

[Me too…]

Against her own instincts, he slowed down. She thought he got tired again and started rolling her hips.

"Non! Please…!"

She stopped and let him guide them. Oh Lord… How long could she last on the edge of the highest cliff with him. 

"Aah… Lucien… I don't know if-"

"Shhh, _tais-toi et embrasse-moi!"_

_[Shhh, shut up and kiss me!]_

He growled as each thrust was a step towards the end. She raised her head and went to his lips, lunging forward. She found his tongue and clung to it, the nicotine, ah, the man underneath her was delicious…!

He slowed down more. They were both achingly close. He ever so delicately slid down before what they knew now would be the end. He flicked his tongue against hers, as if if to ask if she was ready. Her fingers glided up from his chest to his hair and grasped firmly. 

They both took in as much air as possible in their lungs, their chests inflating but never breaking contact. He lapped at her lip and kissed furiously as his hips rolled in, not too fast, not too slow, just enough for them to take the last step and take that leap of faith together. 

He thrusted in deep and held her firmly stuck to him as she cried, her thighs and legs not obeying any other order but the one that Lucien commanded. He felt it, the walls of her intimacy pulsating as she could feel his masculinity doing exactly the same.

They both cried and their loving clamor rang loudly in their ears, resonating and deafening them, saturating their fragile eardrums. At the same time, their fingers clenched, and their whole bodies were shaken by the tremors of something that each individually could not dream of achieving. 

They panted in the dark, in each other's arms, out of breath, out of energy, out of their lives and mind. They couldn't but just release all their muscles slowly. She was limply lying on him while he tried to calm down. 

Leila knew that his _burning desire_ was most sensitive now and she could still feel it twitch from time to time. She wished she had the energy to take care of it with her mouth, putting it back at rest. But he had emptied her of everything, she could hardly even think straight. 

The tremors she could feel inside her actually made his whole body shiver. He hoped it wasn't too uncomfortable for her. He was far too weak to actually react or even speak. 

It took them a long while before their breath got back to normal.

"Leila?" 

"Hm?" 

"Je t'aime."

[I love you.]

"Je t'aime aussi."

[I love you too.]

"I'm sorry if I make you feel that you can't move yet… It's still, uh, quite sensitive and I'd rather you stay there for a minute more if you don't mind."

"I don't want to move away from you." She answered. 

"Isn't it… uncomfortable?"

"Oh Lord non. Uncomfortable is far from the right word for it."

She couldn't see it but he smiled. 

"What is it then?" He pushed his luck. 

" _Delicious_."

She closed her thighs ever so slowly, not to harm him and he hissed. 

"Oh, am I hurting you?" She stopped instantly. 

"Hurting is far from the right word for it." He quoted her she smirked. 

Leila left a kiss on his lips ans asked, quoting _him._

"What is it then?"

" _Exquisite."_

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

  
Thanks for reading and I hope you appreciated the spiciness! :D

Please tell me what you thought of this one :)

  
  
See you around for number 47!  
  
  
  



	47. Chapter 47

Leila opened her eyes first. It took her a couple of seconds before settling back from the dream world to real life. She was lying in bed with something weighing on her. She looked down and realised that her lover was using her chest as a pillow. It warmed her heart. She wanted to move her hands to try and stretch out a bit but she had fallen asleep with her left arm on Lucien's head, her fingers through his hair and he was holding her other hand. 

Did she _have to_ stretch…? Non, obviously not, and she much preferred having her personal space invaded by his naked body. 

She pushed the bed cover from his face for him to breathe better. 

" _Merci…"_

"You're awake?" She asked. 

"Oui, I have been so for quite a while." 

"And you…?" 

"I woke up here and thinking about it, I didn't want to move away and risk waking you up."

"Well, I didn't move because I like you here on my chest way too much…" She said. 

"I didn't dare say it, but oui, I like it here, it's fairly comfortable." He arrogantly answered. 

" _Fairly_ comfortable?" She repeated. 

"Well… Oui? Although I guess you are right, there are only very few places where I could enjoy myself more."

"Pray tell me where…?" She asked.

"It's too early in the morning for the answer to that, mon amour." He whispered in her ear before kissing her neck. She moaned happily and stretched her arms as Lucien sat up from her chest. 

"Have you slept well?" He asked. 

"Oui, and I woke up in the best way possible." 

"Hm, I beg to differ. I hope that one day you'll wake up better than that." He confidently said as he put on his gown. 

"What is this? A promise?" She pushed her luck. Leila got off the bed and as Lucien was holding her dressing gown open, her arms flowed in it, left and right before tying it to her waist. 

"More than that, one of my dearest wishes." He asserted. "You can go for the shower first, I'll go after you." 

"You sure?" 

"Oui." He opened the bedroom door and a herd of fluff came at him meowing repeatedly. "I have to take care of them." 

She went to the bathroom door and he was still following her, his hands on her thin waist. She turned to him and kissed his lips before saying:

_"Prends bien soin de nos enfants, je vais faire vite."_

_[Take good care of our children, I'll be quick.]_

She crossed her eyes on his lips and closed the bathroom door, leaving the Frenchman on the other side of it, his jaw dropped to the floor. 

_Nos enfants..._

_[Our children…]_

His breath had stopped and he could neither move nor hear the meows anymore. Those words set fire to his imagination and his mind showed him wild pictures before his eyes that moved him so deeply that his stomach melted.

_\-- Later --_

"Oh, you waited for me for breakfast?" Leila said, exiting the bathroom. 

"Of course." 

Lucien pushed his chair back a bit and opened his arms. Leila sat on his lap and laced an arm around his neck. 

"Merci!" 

The Frenchman had prepared coffee and the omelette. 

"Can you cut the omelette for me, I've only got one hand…" She asked, raising her fork in her right hand.

He nodded and his knife slid on the omelette. 

"Where is your other hand, I wonder…?" He said, feeling her fingers on the back of his neck. 

Lucien planted his fork on one square of the omelette and brought it to her lips. 

"Oh…" She took it in her mouth. The Frenchman's eyes riveted on her lips. "Merci!" She said, putting a hand on her mouth to cover it. 

They started enjoying their breakfast but soon the cats finished theirs and jumped on Leila's empty chair and on the table, surrounding them. 

"Les chatons…!" Lucien said. "Restez sages… Non, ne touche pas au café de Leila!"

[Kittens…! Behave… No, don't touch Leila's coffee!]

"Meow!" Perle came to get her kittens further from the omelette and the mugs of coffee.

"So, about the kittens…" Leila started. "It's very nice of you to keep them."

"It's not the first time that Perle has kittens. I usually give them out as soon as they can live without their mother." 

"Oh, so you want to give them away?" Leila asked. 

"I'm not so sure anymore." 

They both took a sip of their coffee. 

"Why is that?" She asked. 

Lucien put his mug back on the table and didn't raise his eyes to hers. 

"It's something you said that made me change my mind. That, and how Perle behaves with you." 

"What do you mean?" 

He fed her more of the omelette before taking a bit for himself. He chewed on it and frowned, trying to gather the words for his thought. 

"Perle would never let anyone get close to her. The very few times that someone else but me would get close to her, she would hiss aggressively and get her claws out. Her hairs would stand on her back and everywhere, her tail would point straight up." 

He took a sip of his coffee. 

"Very clearly, she likes you." He added. 

"Aw… I'm glad she does and I'm grateful to her."

"Why?" 

"Because… Well, I couldn't help thinking yesterday that before we met, _she_ would be the one to be there for you." 

The Frenchman's eyes went to Perle who was lying on the table, far from them, her kittens rolling around and fighting happily. 

"You are right. I actually got Perle on the twentieth anniversary of… Of Jérémy's mother leaving."

"Oh, I see… Sorry, I didn't want to bring it up again." She said, fearing that it might drag him down to the same state.

"Non, actually, it feels good to talk about it with you. For some reason, you never react the way I expect you to."

"Oh?" 

"The first time I told you about Jérémy, I thought you would try to make me feel guilty with the usual _'You're a coward',_ _'You left her alone'_ , and so on and so forth. But non, you didn't. Do you remember what you said?"

"Non, not exactly…" She answered. 

"I do. It was… an outstanding answer. You said _'I will help you find him.'"_

"That's it?" She asked. 

"That's _it_ , and that's _when_ I started falling for you I think, roughly. Non actually I cannot think when I started falling for you but one thing is sure." He answered.

"What is it?" 

"I still am." 

She smiled and put her lips on his. 

"Merci, mon coeur." 

[Thank you, my heart.]

They finished their breakfast and Leila was still sitting on her lover's lap. She wrapped her other arm around him and laid her head on his shoulder. The golden morning sun was shining through the window, flooding the kitchen, the table, the cats and them both. He held her close and slowly rocked her left and right. She closed her eyes and breathed his cologne. 

"I would like to take you somewhere today, Leila." 

"Oh? Where?"

"Ah, I am not telling you but I hope you will appreciate it like a gift." 

She opened her eyes and looked him in the eye. She tilted her head on the side, pleading with her eyes.

"Please…?"

"Non, even if you look at me with your panther's eyes," He tapped the tip of her nose with his index and she pulled up her nose, smiling," I won't tell you anything."

"Panther's eyes?" She repeated.

He looked into her pupils and he dived in them, his own eyes washing her soul with a wave of his arctic blue irises. They looked almost grey under the morning sunshine.

"Don't you mean _puppy eyes?"_ She asked. 

"Non. No puppy is as deadly as you are." 

He meant it as a compliment and she took it as such, melting under his low voice.

"Right, so when should I be ready for?" 

"Anytime you wish."

"Well in that case, anytime you want although…" 

"Although…?" He asked. 

"Not tonight."

He raised an eyebrow. 

"Why?"

"I'll be busy I think."

"Oh, Lawrence is taking you somewhere?" The Frenchman asked. 

"Non."

"What is it then?"

She got off his lap and walked to the bathroom again. Before entering, she looked back to him, a devious smile on her lips.

" _I have a snow leopard who needs to be tamed…"_

The sentence hit his stomach at full speed and his guts melted. The bolt of electricity shot through his insides and as she shut the door, he rolled his eyes and leant back on his seat.

_\-- Later --_

The dark blue Italian car was racing through the desert, gliding smoothly on the asphalt, the yellow lines on the road rolling past it fast. Leila was staring through the window. The last time she saw that decor, through the Frenchman's car, it was covered in white. But now that it had melted away, the orange dust spread as far as the eye could see, only rarely sprinkled with the occasional cactus here and there. 

"I thought about this for a long time." Lucien broke the silence. 

"About what?"

"It is two months today that I share my days and my nights with you." 

"Is it?" She was surprised that he had kept track of the days. 

"Oui, exactly two months."

"Oh…" 

"I wanted to celebrate the occasion, but a dinner is not something that would do. Non, I want to share something with you that you will remember and keep for longer than a dish on a plate."

"What is it?" 

"I am still not telling you."

She rolled up her eyes and smiled. Lucien turned his head to her briefly and saw it, he smiled. 

"But I hope you will appreciate it because… Well, here is what I thought. I want to show you who I am and what I like, so I will make you discover a part of my… uh…"

_"World?"_ She suggested. 

"Oui, if you will, I will share a part of me with you that is quite personal, even though I don't doubt everyone knows it about me." 

"Wait, how can it be both personal and common knowledge to everyone?"

He smirked and savoured her confusion. His eyes still on the road, he arrogantly answered.

"You'll see, _Princesse,_ you'll see." 

He drove for a long time but they soon arrived at the city's door. He parked them both close to the old centre of the city and exited his car. Leila was about to open her door when it opened on its own, under her surprised eyes. She raised her head and saw that Lucien was there, holding it for her. She nodded and exited the car too. 

" _On y va?"_

_[Shall we?]_

He offered his arm to her and she gladly took it. 

_"Bien sûr."_

_[Of course.]_

They walked side by side on the pavement. It was old cubic cobblestones, whose corners had gone round as the years had passed by. They used to be black, maybe dark blue, now they were light grey as the sun had worked on their colour to make it fairer. The shops and restaurants seemed more traditional too, with wooden painted facade. The whole atmosphere felt more rustic and old-timey. 

People gave them strange looks. A man dressed in a red suit, wearing a mask, walking arm in arm with a lady dressed in a blue suit… 

They were chatting, her talking about her surroundings, her eyes darting from one detail to the other, him? He was smoking and listening to her, a dreamy smile on his lips. 

"Here it is, mon amour." Lucien stopped and opened the door. 

Leila entered and looked around. There were wooden shelves everywhere on the walls with rolls of different fabric, colours, motifs and the like. In the middle of the shop was a leather sofa and a couple of armchairs surrounding a coffee table. Leila raised her eyes and at the end of the shop, there were a few wooden steps which led to a small round stage. It was surrounded by three large mirrors, next to each other, looking inside that small stage area.

"Sir, may I help?" A man in an impeccable suit asked. "Oh! Lucien! Lucien my dear friend with the red suits!"

Hands were shaken.

"Fernando, please let me introduce Leila the sunshine of my life." 

"Delighted to meet you, _Signorita."_

They shook hands.

"What shall we do today? Do you need a new red suit? The weather is getting warmer so maybe it's time for something a bit lighter?"

"Actually Fernando, I would like to offer something of the greatest quality, for the woman who has transformed my life into heaven." 

"Oh…!" Fernando, who seemed only a bit older than Lucien, turned to take a look at Leila. He then quickly spun on his heels and walked to the front door, leaving Leila confused. She looked up at Lucien and the Frenchman smiled.

Leila saw him flip the "open" sign on the shop door into "closed".

"I see she is wearing a suit too but blue. Quite the contrast from you Lucien!" Fernando then drew the curtains over all the windows shut and switched on the lights. "There, now we can be more at ease."

"Of course, thank you for your effort." Lucien answered.

Leila was completely lost. What was this whole blocking the sunlight about?! Her eyes went to her lover who removed his mask. She opened her eyes wide under the surprise.

"Please, let's take a seat and discuss this comfortably." Fernando invited them over to the sofa. Lucien took Leila by the hand and both sat there. 

" _Mon amour, tu peux retirer ton masque."_

_[My love, you may remove your mask.]_

Leila obeyed and Fernando smiled. 

"Thank you for your trust, Lucien and…?"

"Leila." She said, still taken aback. 

"Right, _Signora_ Leila."

"If you call Lucien by his name, pray do the same with me." She answered, still not feeling entirely comfortable.

"Oh, fair enough then, thank you Leila."

She nodded. 

"So what would you like? Do you have an idea, a reference, or maybe a picture?"

"Ehm, no, not exactly I'm afraid…" She answered, fidgeting with her fingers. 

Lucien noticed her being nervous and put his hands on hers to soothe her. 

"I'm afraid she was not aware of our visit to you, I had intended it as a surprise." Lucien answered. "Do you mind giving us a minute, Fernando?" 

"Of course, of course! Call for me when you need." 

The man in the dark blue suit left the couple alone. 

"Lucien… What's all this?"

"It's where I get my suits made." He answered.

"Don't you get your suits from Mann Co. too?"

"Non. That was a condition I imposed. I have my suits custom-made and they shall be of the right color and motifs for my work in Mann Co. But that's beyond the point."

"Oui, it is. What the hell is this place?! I've never had a custom-tailored suit or anything else! And look around us, endless rolls of infinite possibilities! How am I supposed to decide and even pay for this! Mann Co. pays generously but I'm sure I can't affo-"

"Sshhhh…" Lucien put an index on her lips. "Mon amour, _this_ ," He opened his arms around him and looked at the room. " _This_ is my world and I want to share it with you. And Leila, you sound so distraught but I'm here for you. I will help you decide and choose something that suits you. Finally, for the price, that is a trifle you should not think about. It's a gift from me to you."

Her eyes were afraid, open wide, her shoulders here slightly hunched as if she wanted to protect herself from her hostile surroundings. Lucien looked in the direction that Fernando had disappeared. The workshop door was shut. He turned to Leila and stood up. He extended a hand so that it hung in front of her eyes. 

"Please…" He said and she raised her frightened eyes to him. "Trust me." 

Leila sighed and put her hand in his. He pulled her up delicately and she stood up. He pushed her to take the steps of the small stage and stood behind her, leaving her to stand between the three mirrors and himself. Now, three copies of herself were awkwardly standing there, between the soft arms of three Luciens...

"Look at you." Lucien put his cheek against hers from behind and held her chin between his fingers, staring at her on the mirror.

"You are gorgeous…" Lucien's hands slid on her shoulders to push them down to relax, then glided on her sides along her chest, stomach and hips. Feeling his touch wrapping her, she relaxed and the Frenchman's hands ended around her waist, his cheek against her, rocking her slightly left and right. 

"Mon amour, please, this is a treat I want to offer you. You already look absolutely irresistible but I want you to have something that you can keep, from me." 

"You…" She answered, looking at his image on the mirror. "You're way too crazy. You called your tailor, arranged this appointment here with him and had him pretend he's closed so that we can remove our masks… Why?"

"This is your first high-quality suit. Leila, I know where you come from, I know your past. You never had the opportunity to know this world, but you deserve it, you deserve the best."

She raised her hand and put it on his cheek. He smiled. Lucien's face was now sandwiched between hers and her glove. She closed her eyes, his rocking left and right soothed her immensely. 

"However, if you don't want it, I will of course not force you." He concluded and she opened her eyes again.

"How can I say no to you?" She asked, her eyes half closed and dreamy. Her dark irises left the mirror and she turned her head to look at the real Lucien. "Mon amour… I'm… I'm immensely honoured. You did _all this_ , just for me…?" 

He moved to stand between her and the mirrors. 

"Leila?" He cupped her face between his gloves, tilting her head back so that she looked up at him.

"Hm?" 

Her round pupils looked at him in a way that it seized his guts. She had that look of blind trust and given her career, he knew how difficult it was to completely trust someone. Her eyebrows were arched up as her pupils darted from his right eye to his left. She was still not totally comfortable but she loved him too much to refuse. 

"Je t'aime, _Madame."_ He said and bent his head down to put his lips on hers.

[I love you, _Madame.]_

"Hm…" 

He felt her entire being sink between his palms and when he opened his eyes, hers had recovered their shine. She wasn't afraid anymore. 

"Merci, mon coeur." She whispered. 

[Thank you, my heart.]

He answered with one those grins that meant not only that he was happy for himself, but also glad for her. 

"So, do you accept this gift?" 

"Of course! But please, Lucien…" He put his hands on her hips. "Please stay with me, I don't know how any of this works." 

"I already promised to never leave your side and I intend to keep that promise. Let's go back to the sofa, shall we?" 

She nodded and when they got back there, Lucien called Fernando back. 

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Leila said.

"No worries at all. So, what shall we do?" 

Lucien and Leila looked at each other with such a tender smile, even the tailor blushed!

  
 _ **\-- Author's notes --**_  
  
Thanks for reading and don't hesitate to leave a comment!  
  
See you for the next one! :D  
  



	48. Chapter 48

There was a knock on the van's door. 

"Come in, Princess! And don't come in if it's that other bloke!"

Leila pushed the door rolling her eyes. 

"Don't worry, it's only me this time."

Lawrence's eyes shot behind her. 

"He isn't right behind you, is he?"

"Non, it's just me, sorry to disappoint you, dear!" She winked and closed the door after her. 

"Disappoint me?! I'm bloody glad I get some time with you alone! C'me here…!"

He opened his arms and she hugged him. 

"Aw! Thank you, Lawrence." 

"You're welcome…" 

Both sat on the old worn out couch.

"Hoo-hoo!" The young owl was trying to jump out of the box to join them but with a wing in a cast, it couldn't fly over to them. The Australian picked it up carefully and sat back next to his friend. 

"Calm down now, Hoots-a-lot, it's only Leila." 

"Hoots-a-lot?" She repeated. 

"Yeah, it's cause he hoots a lot."

"Oh, I hadn't got that…" She said sarcastically. "I thought he was wild and not a pet, so you weren't going to name him." 

"Well, it's been a whole week now. We're startin' to know each other quite well, eh Hootsy?" 

"Hoo!"

"Wanna hold him in yer hands?" 

"Oh, uh, I don't know if I can…"

"Put yer hands like me, like a bowl, yeah, perfect. Now there…" 

The Australian delicately dropped the bird in Leila's hands. 

"Hoo-Hoo!" 

It flapped its free wing repeatedly, trying to understand its new surroundings. Lawrence scratched its head. 

"Now, now, we don't wanna make a mess, there… Calm down, it's only Leila, she's nice." 

She looked up at him and they exchanged a smile as the owl settled down. 

"There, you're holding it, see? It wasn't that hard, now was it?" 

"Non, it's true." 

They both stared at Hootsy for a moment before the Australian broke the silence. 

"So, how are you?" 

"I'm alright. I just needed to talk a bit." 

"What did he do?" Lawrence asked. 

"How did you know?" 

"If you're not talking _to_ him, then it must be _about_ him, roight?" 

And the Australian could hear the Frenchman's words in his head: _"slow but far from stupid."_

"Well, he… He organised a bit of a surprise for me today." 

"Oh, what's that?"

"Well, he uhm… He drove me to town and he took me to the old centre. It's a lovely neighbourhood, we should go someday."

"Whenever you want." He answered. 

"Thanks. But yeah, he took me there to his tailor." 

"His _tailor?"_ Lawrence repeated, utterly taken aback. "The man organised a surprise visit _to the bloody tailor?!_ What next? The hairdresser?!" 

Leila laughed awkwardly as she tried to still keep the owl as comfortable as possible between her hands. 

"Non, you don't get it! He wanted to offer me a suit, a custom-tailored one, like his!"

"He wants you to look like'im?!"

Leila burst out laughing. 

"Haha! Non you genius! He made me a priceless gift!" 

"Wait, it is not priceless at all! The bloke is gonna charge you some money for it, I can tell you that!"

"You don't get it. He… He shared a part of himself with me. _That_ is the gift."

"Y-what?"

"Snoop, he both are spies. We don't share our lives. We technically don't _have_ a life, we have missions, faces, multiple different lives that aren't ours. Lawrence, the suit isn't priceless but he shared a part of _his true self_ with me. _That_ is beyond what anyone can afford." 

She leant back on the sofa and he watched her eyes go dreamy. 

"He shared that and a lot of what he knew about it. It was… _mesmerising._ He has such a delicious voice, Lawrence…!"

The Australian smiled. 

"He explained the major schools of tailoring in Europe, their common points and differences, their subtleties. He knows so much about it! I could listen to his voice for hours and hours without getting bored. And…"

"And…?"

"The more I listen to his voice, the deeper I fall for him. The mere music and timbre of it… It-it… It tu-"

"Wow, wow, wow! I don't need to hear it, I got it! Please!" He covered his ears and Leila smiled. 

"Sorry, I might have gone too far." She added.

"Nah, it's fine. But yeah, I understand a bit better now and I think… I mean, I might be wrong, eh? But I think what he's ready to do with you, or rather _for you_ , goes beyond what he lived before with other ladies."

"Hm?"

"I mean obviously I didn't know him that well before I knew you but… I don't know, I get the feelin' that you made him change. He doesn't see things the same way now. It's like he used to be restless and now he settled down in his own head, if that makes sense."

"I understand what you mean. Ha, if I really did that, then I'm more than happy. The poor man deserves some rest after all he's gone through in his life." 

"Despite everythin', you really go well together." Lawrence said. 

"Thank you, Snoop, for everything." 

"Bah, it's nothin'...!"

_\-- Dinner table --_

"Spah?" 

All the mercenaries were around the table. It was Demo's turn to cook and Soldier had kindly helped him. Everyone was very happy that Engie and Pyro were back to share dinner with them, as the laughters and jolly atmosphere showed.

"Oui?"

"Yes?" 

Both the BLU and the RED Spy answered Engie's call. 

"Sorry, I meant our Spy."

"Oh, my apologies." Lucien answered. 

"Oui, Engie?" 

"If you have a minute after dinner, could you come to mah garage…? Actually, the both of you should come, I've got somethin' to show you."

"Sure." She answered. 

"But of course." 

"Any progress on the robots?" Medic asked the Texan. 

"Well, I don't want to disclose mah conclusions before I'm certain of what I know. So I need a lil' bit more time."

"Ah, fair enough. In any case, it's good to have you back around the table, Engineer, and Pyro too."

"Da." 

"Aw, thanks pardners!" 

"Mmph!" Pyro clapped his hands enthusiastically. 

_\-- Engie's garage --_

The man in the yellow hard hat managed to hear the knock above the noise of his machines. 

"Ah!"

He went to the door and opened. 

"Bonsoir, Engineer."

[Good evening, Engineer.]

"Hey, fellas, come in, please!" 

The two spies entered and the Texan closed the door after them. 

"So, you have some news for us?" Leila asked. 

"Sort of… Come follow me." 

They were soon in front of a table on which the Scout robot was lying. His head and chest were unscrewed and opened. Both spies bent forward to see a bit better what was inside. The Frenchman saw circuits and wires, electronic parts left and right. 

"Ooh, that's interesting…" Leila's gloved hands went to the green circuit board in the robot's head. "Like us, their main commands come from their heads, hm?" 

Engineer nodded. 

"Yeah, look at the rest…!" 

Leila touched a cable, followed it down to the robot's chest before her fingers fiddled with the rest of the structure. Silence fell as both Lucien and the Texan gave her time to enquire around. 

"Engineer… wait…" Her hand dived in the robots entrails. Her eyes darted left and right, trying to understand where the wires were going and-

"Mon Dieu, qu'est-ce que c'est que ça?!" 

[My God, what the hell is that?]

Her hand dived out with a handful of green notes. 

"Is this… Money?!" 

"Yeah!" Engie replied. "I opened the other bot and I found some money there too! It's very strange…"

"May I?" Lucien opened his palm to ask for the money. Leila gave it to him and the Frenchman took a careful look. He put the bill under the light and frowned, flipping it from time to time. 

"This is authentic money too… What's the point of it? I don't know but it could prove useful. Do they carry the same amount of money?"

"Yeah, seems so." Engie said. "But what d'you make of it, Spah?"

Leila's fingers hovered above the metal carcass, as if she was playing the piano. 

"Quite precise architecture, whoever built this knows what they're doing. Obviously I didn't have time to understand it fully but judging by the wiring, it does seem like they're modelled on humans. They're wired from the head to all the limbs… The motherboard looks quite elaborate, more complicated than a bomb or a basic computer. Non, we're facing some high end technology there." 

Lucien managed to not let his jaw drop at the price of sweating heavily under his balaclava. Leila didn't know it but her speech had seized his guts. He cleared his throat nervously. 

"Yeah, I have rarely seen anythin' like it. I did find some useful bits and pieces and tested them thoroughly."

The two French masked agents turned to face Engie. 

"First, they can hear and see. Their cameras work similarly to our eyes, same for their mics. Then, I've found that they're equipped with speakers which they use to speak _but!_ " The short Texan man raised his index. 

"But?" Leila asked. 

"They also communicate on the same waves we used to use with our previous earpieces!" 

"Ah! So I was right! They _could_ hear us with our previous earpieces!" Lucien exclaimed.

"Yeah! But that's not all. Just out of curiosity, I tested the engines that power their legs… Turns out their Scout also runs faster than their Pyro!" 

"Oh…" Leila put a hand on her chin. 

"And the metal that covers their Pyro is coated with something that's fireproof too…"

"What?!" Leila exclaimed. 

"Yeah, but the layer is quite thin, fire does damage them eventually, it just takes longer." 

"Oh, I see… So not only do they look like us, but they also _work_ like us?" Leila asked. 

"Yeah, looks like it…" 

"Engineer, may I ask you something?" Lucien lit a cigarette and put it to his lips.

"Yeah?" 

"You both say that they are structured like normal humans, non?"

Both Leila and the Texan nodded. 

"So do they have some sort of memory? Somewhere in their brain where they store the information that they see or hear? They might know more about the layout of their base, the whereabouts of my team even?" 

"That's an excellent question, Spah. I've found their memory alright and I'm still extractin' all the data from it. It takes quite a bit of time before it's finished and then I'll be able to go through it."

"Alright, I see." Leila answered. 

"And I'm afraid that's all I got for the moment." 

"It is already a lot Engineer, thank you." Lucien put a hand on his shoulder and the Texan nodded with a wide smile on his lips. 

"Thank you, dear." Leila added. 

"Bah, it's not much but I thought I'd show you. You're good with electronics so why not have your opinion."

"Merci."

The three mercenaries walked back to the door. 

"I'll let you know when I get more info about the bots." 

"Thank you again Engie." Leila said. 

"Pleasure!" 

Lucien and the Engineer nodded courteously before the two spies exited.

"See ya later!" 

_\-- Spies' room, the evening --_

Lucien came out of the shower. Spring was well established now and the temperature was much less harsh. Thus, the Frenchman had resorted to a pair of shorts and a white tank top. He nonetheless wore his blue satin dressing gown on top of it. He walked to the sofa where he found Leila sitting, cross-legged, her sketchbook between her legs. The cats were surrounding her and she was petting them. 

_"Oui, Perle… Je l'aime mon Lucien…"_

_[Yes, Perle… I love my Lucien…]_

"Meow!"

_"Oui, pardon, notre Lucien…"_

_[Yes, sorry, our Lucien…]_

The Frenchman made sure to be as silent as possible to listen in more. He heard the cats purr in cannon.

_"_ Yes, Perle… He is… There are no words really. Hm… Let me think. Oh! I know! You know when you don't water a plant for long? It loses its colours, its life, it withers, decays. But then you water it and suddenly, life courses through its veins again! Its stem stands up proudly, its leaves shines in bright green and if you're lucky, it might blossom in beautiful flowers…"

Leila closed the sketchbook and put it aside. Her hand went to the kittens and scratched them lightly. The purrs soothed her.

_"_ That's what I feel when he's next to me. My entire being is buzzing, my heart, my mind, my fingertips. When he touches me, I feel ripples along my skin as if he was the first one to lay his fingers on me. And that's just when he uses his fingers. When his lips run along my body, it burns. Oui, it burns in the most exquisite way. Each kiss, each contact feels like he's branding my skin and a bolt of lightning shoots through my defenseless being, everywhere… I lay there, as my body melts between his lips."

She smiled. 

"Pff, listen to me… I used to mock sentimental people, call them weak and fragile, laugh at them. But who turns into liquid at the mere sound of his voice now, hm?" 

Leila chuckled. 

"Non, Perle, it's the first time that I look up and ahead, to… well, to that thing people call _the future._ You know how people look for their _missing half?_ "

"Meow."

"Yes, it is ridiculous. Lucien isn't my missing half. I am a whole and entire person but he… He adds something invaluable to my life. He adds colours to my eyes, scents that I shall never forget, sounds that turn my ears hot and tastes that I am addicted to…" 

Leila cleared her throat as she put a hand to the nape of her neck. She was getting a bit embarrassed, not seeing the Frenchman's smile and dreamy eyes, standing just behind the sofa.

"I shouldn't mention this in front of the kids but…" She looked and saw that they were asleep. "Oh, actually, they're sleeping, so shall I?" 

Perle was cleaning her paw. She raised her head to Leila and blinked slowly with both eyes as she seemed to nod. 

"Right, so… The tastes, yes. Perle, his lips they're… Mon Dieu, just thinking of them makes me feel _things!_ They're merely and only perfect. They taste like… _like a man,_ a true one. Neither a brute, nor a coward. A man with all his problems, his contradictions, his conflicts and torments. But he also has a courage that I've rarely seen in other men. Non, I've never seen it before."

Leila leant her head back, her eyes staring at the ceiling, while Lucien sat on the floor, his back against the sofa's. 

"Perle, when _she_ confronted him and told him he had been seen flirting with another woman, he knew his mission was compromised and with it, the safety of the mother of his still unborn child. Another man would have argued, lied, to try to keep his lady at all costs. But not Lucien, not him. He didn't think about what _he_ wanted. He thought first and foremost about the saftey of his lady and their baby. If his mission was compromised, he needed to react fast and put them both in safety. So he made her push him away as hard and far as she possibly could. He did lie, oui, but he made her leave for her safety, _without her even knowing it._ " 

Leila took a deep breath. 

"This is the most selfless thing that I've heard a man do." Her voice cracked slightly. The Frenchman heard it and he closed his eyes. He didn't see her put a hand on her chest. 

"Out of all the things he could have done, and even though he was on the verge of quitting his job and everything for them, he made her believe that he was cheating on her, just for her sake…!" 

He heard her sigh on the other side of the sofa's back. 

"Perle, when he came crying to you, I saw him and my heart sank to my feet. It was actually hard for me to hold my own tears back. Oui, I know, it's ridiculous. It's _his_ story, not mine. I shouldn't be _that_ affected. And yet, I felt it as strongly as if it had happened to me."

"Meow?"

"Maybe, oui. Maybe I'm getting… sensitive? Bah, who knows…? If so, it's all his fault-oh…!" 

Perle flowed between her fingers and leapt out of the sofa, leaving Leila and the kittens there. The French woman couldn't see that the lady cat had just gone to the other side of the sofa's back, between her master's legs. 

"Meow?" 

" _Oui, Perle. J'ai tout entendu."_

_[Yes, Perle. I have heard it all.]_

Leila gasped and smacked a hand in front of her mouth. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head. The Frenchman smiled, his fingers running in his cat's fluffy white fur. 

"I have heard it all and I am afraid that I am most jealous. Oui, God knows what other secrets she confides in you and doesn't tell me. Sometimes I do feel it, you know. I feel like I spend my time burdening her with _the states of my soul_ , as we say in French. I shower her with my moods and what I feel constantly and I come to wonder what goes on in _her_ soul."

"Meow." 

"Oui, I have become convinced now that she does feel the same as I do for her. Both because on the one hand I believe her when she says it, but also because I want it to be true. I need it. Oh Perle, if I told you…"

Leila's eyes shot to her right as far as she could see. She was was very curious to hear what Lucien wanted to say but was holding back. 

"Meow!" 

"Fine, I shall say it." 

Leila thanked Perle in her head.

"Perle, if I was brave, if I wasn't the serial liar that I am, a second of time wouldn't pass without me telling her that I love her. If I was the man that she deserved, ha, I would never let her leave my arms. If I was the hero that she has seen painted back in France, I would tell her that she is the air that I need to breathe and live, she is the sun that I need to see rise in the morning, she is the moon that hangs in the starry night of her dark and mysterious irises, when her beauty takes over the sun's, at night."

Leila's throat and mouths were dry. She was listening, holding her breath, her heart beating loudly in her temples.

"Perle, if I was truly courageous, I would tell her that the nights that I spend sleeping with her in my arms are both the sweetest and the hardest to live. They're awful because they are long, endless hours that I spend not seeing her, not watching her. Those are hours that the cold and silent night takes away from me and that I will never see again. She doesn't know it but I fall asleep after her and wake up earlier than her. I need those minutes. She is a delight to watch when she sleeps. She looks so innocent, defenseless and peaceful. She looks like an angel with caramel skin, _my guardian angel_ . Every morning when I see her chest rising and falling slowly, I repeat that sentence in my head. _'Where have you been all these years?'."_

Leila's eyes turned hot and the water came, naturally, silently, as she covered her mouth with both her hands. 

"Every morning I stare at her and think to myself about how dear she is to me. How much I would lose, if I were to lose just her."

"Meow?"

"Oui, I haven't answered that. I said that the nights were also the sweetest. Perle, it is when you lose something that you realise how important it is. Every morning I wake up and swear to myself that I will love her perhaps not more, but _better._ Love is an unaccountable concept. You can't love to an exact amount. But you can love _better_. I will love her better tomorrow than I did today, and that for everyday that God lets me live through." 

Lucien stopped talking for an instant and smiled, looking at his companion. 

" _Tu crois qu'elle m'a entendu?"_

_[Do you think she heard me?]_

"Meow." 

"Good. Let this conversation remain between you, me, and my guardian angel, agreed?" 

"Meow?"

"What guardian angel? Why, the one who makes my heart beat, the one who makes my life complete and who watches over me when she thinks I am not looking or seeing her."

Leila couldn't move because of the kittens lying on her lap. She lowered her head and covered her face with her hands. Lucien rose to his feet, carrying Perle in his arms and went around to sit next to his lover on the sofa. He laced an arm around her, pulled her close and kissed her head, on her hair. She was still hiding her face in her hands but when she felt his arm around her, she dived to his chest. 

And Lucien smiled, of course he did! She was holding on the panes of his dressing gown as hard as she was holding her tears back. 

Perle cleaned her children and they woke up. Soon, the fluffy herd trotted away from their human family. 

"Leila?" 

The silence answered louder than she could have. 

"Je t'aime." He said and she buried her head deeper in his chest, breathing in his cologne, humming in bliss.

[I love you.]

She gulped down her dry throat before answering. 

"Moi aussi Lucien, moi aussi." 

[Me too Lucien, me too.]

She leant her head on his shoulder and laced her fingers in his. The Frenchman leant his head on hers and clenched his fingers, not seeing that she had rolled her eyes up in happiness. 

"Merci." She said. "And I'm not thanking you for eavesdropping on me." 

He chuckled. 

"My apologies. I heard an angel speak and couldn't resist listening to the music of her voice." 

"Flatterer." She said and he kissed her head. 

"Do you talk to Perle a lot when I'm not around?" He asked. 

"Not as much as you do. Why?" 

"I'm just curious what else you have told her that I don't know." 

"Well, if I didn't tell you then, I won't tell you now, although…" 

"Although?" He repeated, asking for more. 

"I guess there is one thing I can tell you." 

"Ah!" He delightfully exclaimed. "Pray tell." 

She raised her head to look him in the eye.

"While you were taking a shower, I prepared something for you." 

"Oh… What is it?" He asked. 

"Close your eyes." She answered, "and don't cheat!" 

The Frenchman leant his back against the sofa and closed his eyes. Leila sat on his lap, straddling his thighs and put her lips on his. She gently pressed there before taking his lower lip and pull it down slightly. The Frenchman's jaw relaxed and when he felt her _adding the French to the kiss_ , he fully relaxed. His hands cupped her face, even with his eyes closed. They clung to each other for a while before she withdrew and Lucien opened his dreamy eyes. 

"Merci." He said.

[Thanks.]

"Don't thank me yet and close your eyes _. That_ was not the surprise I have for you." 

Lucien closed his eyes and smiled. He felt her leave his lap.

"Now you've made me curious _and hungry_." He said. 

"Perfect!" She answered. 

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading! 

Comments are greatly appreciated, as always :)

See you for 49!


	49. Chapter 49

"Where are you going?" Lucien asked. 

"You'll see…!"

The Frenchman had his eyes closed but heard her light footstep going away from him. He frowned and focused on his ears. Of course, Leila knew it and to distract him, she went to give the cats their food. She shook the pack of catfood and the concerto of meows woke up again. Lucien shook his head, he couldn't hear what she was doing now! Ah, she had to be a good spy!

Soon he felt her sit on the sofa next to him. 

"Open your mouth." She simply said and he obeyed, raising an eyebrow. 

Lucien felt the cold metal of a spoon on his tongue. He closed his mouth and when the flavours hit him, his eyes snapped wide open to hers. She was sitting on her knees, on the sofa next to him, a bowl of-

" _Mousse au chocolat?"_ He asked. 

[Chocolate mousse?]

"Oui." 

She took another spoonful of it and fed him. He closed his eyes again to fully appreciate it.

"Hmmm! It is divine!" 

"I am happy you like it." She answered.

"But wait, what's the occasion?" He asked, taking the spoon and the bowl from her hands. 

"When you invited me for dinner in town, do you remember?" 

"Oui, we had a _mousse au chocolat_ for dessert, I remember it very clearly." 

"Hm-mh." She nodded. "Oui and I had said that I could do it better than them-oh?" 

The Frenchman took a spoonful of it and put it in front of her mouth. Her eyes crossed on it and it made him smile. She looked like a kitten, her round eyes riveted on the chocolate mousse. She took it in her mouth with a satisfied smile. 

"Merci!" 

"Non, _I_ should be the one thanking you. And indeed it is much better than theirs." He put the bowl and the spoon on the sofa. "Do you know why?"

"Well, it's less sweet, which I know both of us appreciate. And it is made the traditional way, just chocolate and eggs, no crème fraîche."

"Oui," He answered, "But not only."

"Oh?" 

"Leila, what did you make it with?" 

She opened surprised eyes. 

"Uhm, a bowl, some chocolate, a couple of eggs and that's pretty much about it, why?"

"Non, you are forgetting the one thing that makes this chocolate mousse so special." 

"What is it?" She asked. 

He took her hand in his and lifted it to his lips. He kissed her knuckles. 

"This one and…." He took her other hand and put his lips on her knuckles again. "And this one. Those are the reasons why whatever you make turns out to be a marvel for me." 

She tilted her head on one side, a dreamy smile on her lips. She shook her head slowly.

"You're the king of the flatterers in the realm of seduction." She said.

"I like to believe so." He arrogantly answered as she took the mousse again and fed him. 

The Frenchman leant back and in a few minutes, between their banter and the give and take of the spoon, they finished the dessert. 

"Do you mind if I catch up with my reading?" He asked. 

"Not at all." 

Leila went to wash the empty bowl and spoon. She soon came back and laid on the sofa, using her lover's lap as a pillow. He didn't complain. He looked down at her and slid his fingers in her curls. She closed her eyes and smiled. 

Leila let her lover read his magazine in silence. She was just lying there, appreciating his touch in her hair and on her face. The cats soon finished their meal and jumped on the sofa to lay on her, curled in balls of fur. Lucien's fingers lazily followed Leila's nose and cheeks, her lips too. He was caressing her face in a way that she found most relaxing. Thus, without realising it, she started humming to herself, softly. 

As Lucien flipped the pages of his magazine, his eyes gliding on the letters, Leila's hums transformed into soft moans. She loved the delicate side of Lucien, the soft romantic moments they shared. They were new to her as she discovered the true way to love: not by spending a night here and there, but through sharing your life with someone else. 

His index came to her lips and traced their shape, sensually. The upper one first, slowly and then down to the lower one and back to the upper one. He found her lips very soothing to the touch. She raised her eyes to him. 

"Oh?" The Frenchman looked down. 

Leila had taken his hand and was leaving a trail of prude kisses, from the tip of her lips, on each finger. The Frenchman melted as she then put his hand under her neck and cuddled it. Her eyes were on his, and vice versa. She saw his lips purse in a smile and he put his reading aside. 

"Meow…!" 

Perle meowed and her children followed her away. They slipped in the bedroom, leaving Leila and Lucien on the sofa, alone in the living-room, in front of the dancing flames of the fireplace. 

"What you said about me…" Leila started. "You nearly got me crying." 

"Really?" 

"Oui." 

"I'm sorry." 

"Don't be. It was… it was happy tears that I was holding back." She answered and clenched her grip on his forearm and his hand.

"Why would you hold back happy tears?" 

"Because I didn't want to interrupt you."

Leila lifted herself off the sofa and at first, Lucien thought she was going to walk away. 

"Oh…" 

He smiled as she sat on his lap, straddling his thighs. She cupped his face and brushed her thumbs on his cheeks, right below his eyes. She could see the reflection of the fireplace on his pupils, which were slowly growing. 

"You know how you wonder where I was all those years, when you were alone?" She asked. 

He blinked with both his eyes and nodded slightly. 

"Well, I think I wasn't ready to find you."

"How so?" He asked and his eyes were too much for her to take. She lowered her head and diverted her gaze.

"I-I wasn't in the best place in my head." She frowned and her hands left his face to fall down.

Lucien put his index under her chin and pulled it up. He looked at her, tilting his head, with eyes that he wanted to be comforting. 

"Mon amour, if you don't want to talk about it, I will never force you." 

"Non, I want to. I-I need to, because you are making all these efforts to speak your mind freely. I should show that I can do the same, not because it's easy, but because it's for you." She paused and gulped down hard. 

The Frenchman put his hand on her cheek. She held on to it and closed her eyes.

"Lucien. I don't know if Marc told you but after I got accepted in the secret services, I came back home. I was so proud of myself, I was on my way to tell my mother that she wouldn't have to worry about the money anymore, my siblings would be able to pay for university, get a decent education and a job! Oh, I-I was thrilled but…"

Lucien brushed his thumb on her cheek to soothe her and help her get the words out. 

"I was welcomed with a slap across the face and angry insults in Arabic. I hadn't stepped a foot in the house, and in the end, I never did. After I stuttered that I managed to get a good paying job in the military, that I had done that for her and my siblings, she said that I should be ashamed to be paid to kill people, that she had been out of her mind worrying for me because I hadn't given her any news for weeks…"

Leila paused to collect her thoughts. Lucien put his other hand on her thigh and brushed slowly, to comfort her. 

"She concluded with _'I don't recognise you, you're not my daughter anymore'_ and slammed the door on my nose."

"I am sorry to hear that." He whispered, not wanting to disturb her speech too much. 

"Hm. After that, I spend the rest of the day wandering in the streets, alone. I skipped dinner and walked all the way to the riverbank. I sat there and spent the entire night thinking. I had lost my only reason to live and my identity: my family. The next morning, I hopped on a train to Paris and the Ministry. I didn't know where else I could go. My feet led me to the one place I felt comfortable: Marc's office."

"I am so sorry… You never deserved that…"

Leila's eyes were swollen and glistened with the tears she was trying to hold back.

"I spent the night there, with him."

"Oh…" Lucien's hand stopped stroking sharp.

"Non, that's not what you think! I just… He kindly stayed with me and I cried the whole night through… He tried to calm me down... I-I had no one and nowhere to go, I-I panicked, he's the only person I can talk to!"

"Sssh…" Lucien cupped her face. "Can you stand up for an instant?" 

"Oh, uh, y-yes…" 

Leila stood off of her lover and watched as he laid on the sofa. He opened his arms to invite her to lay in them. 

"Oh…" 

She didn't think twice and obeyed. He spooned her and hugged her dearly. 

"Hmm…" He nuzzled in her hair, he loved her smell. "Go on mon amour, I'm listening." 

She felt safe in those arms, oh so safe…! Leila took a deep breath and resumed, feeling his nose and lips through her curls. 

"He suggested I spent a few nights at his place, just to give me time to find something. I accepted for no other reason that I couldn't do anything else."

"How long did you live with him?" 

"One month at the end of which I was sent to a mission and that's when the money started rolling and I could move out."

"And you say you didn't realise he loved you?" Lucien asked. 

"I was blind to everything but my own survival. I couldn't see anything else! But that's not my main point."

Lucien rolled to lay on his back. She followed his movement like his shadow and laid on top of him, her head on his chest, below his chin. He put a hand on her back and one through her hair.

"My point is that back then, I couldn't think about… Well… Wanting a man by my side. Non, I needed to prove to myself that I was worth something, _anything_ ; that if I wasn't my mother's daughter, at least I could define myself as a spy."

"And you went on to become the best spy of your time, _a lady spy_ at that!"

She raised her head and looked at him. Lucien was smiling, his eyes shining gently.

"Lucien?"

"Oui, mon amour?" 

She stared in his eyes. 

"You have the most dangerous smile I have ever seen." 

His cheeks turned pink. 

"How so?" His hand went to her cheek and caressed it with the back of his knuckles.

"Each time you smile to me like this, I go back to square one and fall in love with you again."

"Hm, I'm glad you do." He answered, raising his eyebrows proudly. 

"There's another thing that makes me fall for you." 

"Only one?" He teased. 

"Oh, shut up! You know what I mean!" 

"Oh non, I don't, pray enlighten me, _mon ange."_

_[My angel.]_

She sighed, her lips pursed in a smile. 

"Your… Your arrogance, your clever repartee, the way that you think yourself slightly more intelligent than the rest. Don't get me wrong, if you were only that, I would hate you. But you're so much more…"

She put the tip of her finger on his nose and stroked it down to his lips.

"All these things that make you the irresistible Lucien, the man out of everyone's league that everyone would kill to have by their side… Hm…" She bit her lip and shook her head gently. " _That_ is what I fall for apparently. But that's not all!"

She caressed his lips from her fingertip. They stretched in a smile under her touch.

"What else? Pray tell me more." He encouraged her. 

"Non." She shook her head. "I have said enough."

"Oh, please, you can't let me hang like this!"

"I can, and watch me, _I am."_

Lucien's pupils went wide and he felt the buzzing wake up in his guts. 

"And dare tell me I'm lying when I say that you, Monsieur Lucien, _you like being teased like this."_

Her finger was still on his lips, tracing their shapes lazily. He suddenly got his teeth out and bit her index finger. 

"Oh-" 

He was looking at her with heavy-lidded eyes, his pearly white teeth shining under the warm flames of the fireplace. He wiggled his eyebrows like an invitation and she half-smiled. She thought she could tease him further, see what happens…

"Who on Earth bites their _guardian angel?_ That, Monsieur, is most rude…!"

He kissed her finger and raised an eyebrow. 

"My apologies, but my angel must know that us, mere mortals, are weak. Contrary to you, we are far from being the embodiment of peace and gentleness. We can be mean, harsh, and God graced us with seven deadly sins we can be tempted by, although there is one that he forgot…"

"What is it?" She asked. 

"It is a temptation that no man can resist, however deep one believes in the All-Mighty. And once you fall, you never recover. Your head spins as your faith and beliefs die on the spot. You can but believe in one thing…"

"Tell me, what is it?" She insisted. 

" _You."_

"I think God named that sin already, he didn't forget it, it's called _lust._ "

"Non," He instantly replied. "I know lust and what I am feeling right now is not that. With lust, you feel it down there, but what I feel now… My entire being is possessed, I can hardly think! My legs are weak and were I standing up, they would wobble awkwardly and not carry my weight. My chest burns with a desire that I cannot control. My head has been sent spinning for as long as my eyes met your silhouette, my lips are hungry for yours and below my belt…" 

He closed his eyes, frowned and bit his lip. 

"Below my belt is another story that I am too prude to tell an angel." 

Leila smiled and tilted her head on one side. 

"Too prude are we now, hm? You surprise me. But what if I told you that I am no angel, I have no wings, I cannot fly and like you, I am tempted by something that goes way beyond mere lust?"

Lucien's hands slid to Leila's sides and he brushed there, slowly.

"If you told me that, I wouldn't believe you."

"Look into my eyes." She said and he obeyed. "What do you see?" 

"I see the most beautiful irises, I see black pupils where I lost my mind months ago now."

"Wait a second." She interrupted him and went away from him. 

Lucien sat up to see where she was going. He saw her close the bedroom door and switch off the light in the living-room before coming back to him. 

"Why all this?" He asked, now that the only source of light was the fireplace. 

"I don't want the cats to interrupt us and…"

"And?" He insisted. 

"And as someone showed me before, love is better made when the only light is a natural fire."

His grin widened as she towered him again, on all four. 

"Oh wait!" He said. "Now I see your eyes much better… I can see that your pupils are wide, why is that, do you think?"

"Oh, I wouldn't know." She lied. "I am told that with cats, it's when they want what they see." 

"Are you a cat?" 

"What do _you_ think?" She asked him. 

"I think you are an entire species of feline on your own."

"Am I?" 

"Mh-hm." He nodded. "A panther, the most dangerous one. Dark fur and dark eyes that bewitch the poor old man that I am. Non Leila, you are the only panther able to possess me with those feminine charms of yours, a _pink panther."_

She chuckled. 

"Not _a_ pink panther." She answered as he cupped her face. 

"What then?" He asked. 

" _Your_ pink panther." She whispered.

"How could the man that I am ever dream of _having_ you?" 

"The old man sees life through grey glasses. He fails to understand what I have beneath me."

"Pray enlighten me."

"The _old man_ is everything but old." 

Leila laid on her lover, her chest against his and slid her fingers in his hair, her eyes never leaving his. 

"He thinks his age defines him. Non, he is very wrong. Where he sees tired eyes and skin that is worn out by the years, I see so much more. His eyes are as fair a fresh wave of the Arctic ocean, it crashes on the shore of my mind and seizes my soul. Your skin? Absolutely delicious…" 

Her fingers went to his tie and undid it softly. She opened the first few buttons of his shirt and went down to his ear. 

" _Your voice… your deep voice…"_

Her whispers gave him goosebumps. The gentle breeze of her breath in his neck, below his ear. She felt him brush his legs and his claws clenched on her sides. He looked the other way to have more of his neck enchanted by her soft murmurs. 

_"Lucien…"_ She saw he had closed his eyes and frowned. _"Lucien, you are a new kind of magic that I cannot fight against."_

Her hand ruffled his hair. 

_"You are the first man that I decide to abandon myself to. I am yours, I am so yours…"_ She clenched her fingers in his hair.

Lucien wasn't sure that he heard her voice slightly crack. 

_"Lucien, I…"_ The flames in the fireplace crackled, sawing their ears deliciously. They breathed louder, their chests rose and fell deeper. _"I need you, I-I can't imagine a day without you, I can't imagine myself alone anymore, I can't remember how I lived before."_

Her other hand grasped his collar and crumpled it in her palm. She was holding on to it, non, she was pulling on it as hard as she wanted him to understand. Leila gulped down hard and she was out of words. Defeated by the feelings that she failed to mold into words, she rested her head in his neck. 

"Leila?"

She raised her eyes to him. 

"Oui?" 

Lucien rolled to be the one who is now towering her. He slid his fingers in hers, right and left, pinning her hands on the sofa. He slowly bent down, like a leopard would to drink water from a calm pond, his eyes yet never leaving the gazelle also drinking at the other end of the water. His lips ended next to her ear. He pressed his cheek against hers and she revelled in the scratch that his stubble left of her skin.

_"Leila…"_ Each time she heard her name said in that voice, that timbre, she felt lucky. She thought of her past self that didn't know of that privilege, being called by her name by the most handsome man she ever laid her eyes on. _"Leila, if you are mine, I shall take you."_

"Where?" She pushed the air out of her mouth, but her vocal chords did not vibrate. It was a puff of air, of shy wind. 

Lucien did not answer. He delicately dropped his parted lips right under her ear. She hissed and arched her back, after a fashion, but she couldn't move: her hands were firmly pinned to the sofa. She felt his lips slide down and close on her thin neck. Leila let a sigh escape, his ears caught it and she got startled. 

"Ah-!"

His teeth sank slowly and he pushed her deeper in the sofa with his hands. She clenched her fingers, tried to wiggle herself free under him but to no avail. Lucien had said it, and he would keep his word. 

_Leila, if you're mine, I shall take you._

She had no choice but to close her eyes. It was all too much, way too much! Feeling his lips, teeth and tongue slide along her neck down, his breath cooling her down where his wet tongue had been a moment before. 

She wanted his lips on hers and as if he read her mind, he obliged.

His fingers went away from hers. He undid her shirt, she undid his. With his lips never leaving hers, Lucien threw it away. He then cupped her face and pulled Leila to sit up, which allowed her to remove hers.

The night was silent, apart from the flames crackling in the fireplace, devouring the couple of wooden logs mingled there messily. That, and their breaths. Hers were shaky, fragile while his were hungry and heated.

Lucien's hand went behind Leila's neck and he pulled her to kiss her harder, pressing his forehead against hers. She let a soft cry escape and he drank it as if it was the air that he needed to live.

His other hand caressed her bra on her chest and turned to her side and her back while she splayed her hands across his chest in a needy and desperate way. 

_Click._

She felt it and exhaled louder as Lucien had freed her chest from that last layer of clothing. She let it sink and removed it. As soon as it flew over the sofa, Lucien pushed her down on her back and dived to her chest, his knees between her legs.

_"Oh mon Dieu, Leila…"_ He grunted as he sinfully savoured her. 

It caught her by surprise, his tongue flicking the deep pink flesh there, and his teeth tugging. She arched her hips and her head rolled back up on the sofa. She grasped his hair firmly and her moans flew one octave higher. Lucien closed his eyes and treated her chest like a delicacy. Leila could not remember if she had ever felt all those things before, or if it was the first time…

"L-Lucien…!" She pulled on his hair gently and he understood that she wanted him back on her lips. He obliged but couldn't help panting. Her hips grinding against his was getting to him and he found it hard to focus on the kiss. A bead of sweat rolled on his brows. 

He purred from the back of his throat and she saw them again. _The constellations of pleasure against her closed eyelids._ His hand sank to her belt and quickly undid it. She obliged for him and as she pushed his zipper down, she felt _it_ against her wrist.

Again, they sat up, just to remove whatever layers still dared stand between them. 

"Oh…" Leila's eyes went to Lucien's legs. "Y-you wear garters?"

"Uh, oui, I do." He answered in a confused voice, not knowing where she was going. He looked at her eyes. She was staring there for a second and then raised her eyes to meet his. 

"So I have found him." She said. 

"What?" 

" _The sexiest man on Earth."_ She answered, wiggling her eyebrows.

He cupped her cheeks again and pushed her to lie down. The sofa felt different to both of them, on their naked skin. 

"And I have found an oasis in the desert of my life." He purred in her ear. "A miracle." 

She turned her head to kiss his cheek and he replied with his lips. Leila hooked a leg on his waist and pulled him down to her. He noticed that his bite earlier started to leave a red mark on her skin. 

" _Oh…"_

He sank and let his body meet hers. They were perfect for each other, inside and out. Her lips he kissed headily as her hips were calling for him, her claws raking his skin and claiming him as hers.

" _Mmmmh…"_ He loved it. Her slight enterprising side, her eager way to ask for more, wordlessly. He understood her moves and she understood his rales and groans. 

She felt his length on her, ready and wanting. She slid a hand down and teased it. 

" _Oh!"_ He exclaimed and hissed, Lucien rounded his back, he hadn't expected her touch there. _"Ah, mon amour!"_ He bit back a moan. 

Her fingers were working wonders… He couldn't kiss her anymore and just let his body down south take the lead. She felt it, she didn't need to move her hand, his hips did the work. When he gathered enough strength, he opened his eyes and saw her devouring him with her dark irises. 

_"Embrasse-moi."_ She cooed.

[Kiss me.]

He sank down and met her demand, his tongue darting in and out, enjoying her fully, without any restraints, his arms lacing around her, pulling her close.

Time for him to try something… 

His fingers slithered along her chest, her stomach, her abdomen and…

"Nnnnh…!" 

She bit her tongue to smother her cry. Lucien's finger had opened the book of her femininity, spreading the pages left and right, trying to decipher the mysteries written in those intimate lines. He closed his eyes as she pulled him impossibly close to herself. He flipped the pages of her secrets, his fingers delicately running along, hearing her moan and cry softly in his ear, panting for air. 

His fingers worked wonders. He brushed her most delicate skin like the petals of a flower and he felt it grow hotter by the second. But the Frenchman wanted more. He sank down and settled between her thighs. Lucien looked up at her. Oh how defenseless she seemed… her naked silhouette laying on the sofa, barely lit by the dancing flames of the fireplace. She was catching her breath as best as she could. He waited for her to look down, which she eventually did. 

The sight of her lover, his head propped up on his hands, holding his chin, his elbows planted on the sofa, _between her thighs_ sent the blood rushing to her head. He took her hand and his time. He laced his fingers around hers and she watched, curious. He got close to her and kissed her inner thighs. She shivered and softly moaned. His lips ran along from down up until he faced her intimacy from up close. He raised his eyes to hers and his piercing gaze sent shivers down her spine. 

Her vision blurred when she saw him slowly sticking his tongue out. 

_"Oh Lucien! Fais doucement-aaah…!"_

_[Oh Lucien! Be gentle-aaah…!]_

He lapped lasciviously and she arched her back up, her thighs contracting from the sheer pleasure he was giving her. She jerked her head back up and buried it deeper in the sofa as he took a taste of everything, slowly torturing her more and more. She tried to wriggle out of his charm but to no avail. He freed his hand from hers and pinned her thighs open. Lucien loved that with a flick of his tongue, he could play on her heartstrings and _other kinds of strings…_

She pushed her fingers on his head and grasped his hair firmly as his tongue played and explored, tasted and enjoyed. Her breath went completely erratic. 

" _Mmmh-oh, L-Lu-ah, Lucien mmmh…"_

Her moaning burnt his ears and his closed eyes. He frowned and moaned, and the vibration added to the slick and skilled movements of his lips and tongue. She was melting between his hands, _quite literally._

He backed off for a second and she looked down. He took her hips in his hands and slowly pushed her to roll on her stomach, which she promptly did. He towered her and went to the back of her neck. He kissed and bit gently, she moaned more, feeling his chest against her back. 

" _Leila…"_ He whispered and she moaned louder. His fingers ghosted over her back with his fingertips and watched the goosebumps propagate down along her spine. He hungrily bit her shoulder as his hand went down to firmly grasp her backside. 

"Awwwh!" She moaned in a voice that was higher-pitched than usual. He had struck something sensitive and he loved it. He stuck himself on her back completely again and she felt his wanting masculinity, hot and throbbing against her. 

" _Mmmh-Lucien, tu me rends folle…!"_

_[Mmmh-Lucien, you drive me mad…!]_

He smirked. The Frenchman felt Leila arch her back to get more of his length in contact with her lower back. She rolled her hips against him, as if to ask, opening her thighs slightly. _She wanted him_ and had waited for him long enough. 

As usual, Lucien understood the signs. He slid a hand down and took _the matters in his own hand._ He kissed her back and she felt him, his length, against her nether regions. He rolled his hips, just to caress it. She shuddered. He laced his arms around her, his hands like ropes around her sides. He was keeping her safe. 

_"Lucien, s'il te plaît…!"_

_[Lucien, please…!]_

She wanted to ask him to stop teasing her. She wanted it, _craved it!_ He chuckled and pushed his hips in slowly. Leila hissed and moaned as her wish was finally met, _delicately, centimetre after centimetre._ She was now used to her man's ways. He would always go slowly at first, which she appreciated deeply. As he pushed himself deeper and deeper, his mouth ended up next to her ear. 

_"Leila… Everything about you is perfect…_ " 

His hips rolled back slowly. 

_"Hhm… Lucien…"_

He held her firmly, his hands caressing her body, her chest, her sides, while his chest was against her back. And he pushed slowly in again. 

_"I cannot get enough of you, I always want more."_

She hissed when he squeezed her chest as he reached her end. She loved it. His length was perfect, not uncomfortable at all, on the contrary. And she loved the feeling, the slick friction against the walls of her intimacy as he picked up the paced. 

Contrary to many men she had been with, Lucien never made love for his own satisfaction only. Making love for him was, as obvious as it might seem, _a proof of love_ as well as an exercise of seduction. He wanted her to fall in love with _his way of doing things._ He wanted her future self to think back about this night and feel it all as if it was happening for real. He wanted his touch, his kiss, him in a word, to be carved in the memory of her body, her skin, her fingers, her lips, her thighs and the treasure that laid in between. 

She moaned with an open mouth at the faster pace. It wasn't too fast, it was ideal, it was what she wanted and what she needed. Her body _demanded to feel him_ , his most delicate parts, in the safety of her femininity. 

Leila remembered having done it a million times before but never had it felt the same way as it did with Lucien. It wasn't forced, it wasn't brutal, it wasn't mechanical. Non. Lucien's hips and what they held were beguiling her and her body. She could hear his moans and groans against her ear, she turned her head to him as best as he could and he pushed his lips on the corner of hers.

_"Mmmmh…"_

They both savoured the moment. Their bodies were now glistening with the sweat that their ardour created and both closed their eyes to focus solely on what was happening down south. Lucien's masculinity was just the perfect match for her. The size, the feel, and Lord he knew how to use it perfectly. 

_"Leila… Je t'aime…"_

_[Leila… I love you…]_

" _Hmmm_ , _moi aussi… Ooh…"_

_[Hmmm, me too… Ooh…]_

_"Je rêve de toi, de ta peau, de ton corps, nnh!"_

_[I dream of you, of your skin, of your body, nnh!]_

They were both struggling to catch their breaths. 

_"Lucien, s'il te plaît.. Hm… Je t'aime, je t'aime-aah! S'il te plaît…"_

_[Lucien, please… Hm… I love you, I love you-aah! Please…"_

She didn't know how to ask him. So wordlessly, she rolled her hips faster against him and he understood. But before meeting her demand, he backed off from her and had her turn to lay on her back. He needed to see her and kiss her. Leila obliged. She wanted those thin wet lips against hers again. He towered her and lowered himself until their lips met. She pulled on him violently. 

It was ridiculous as he couldn't have been closer to her a moment ago, but she had missed him somehow. It struck him, he hadn't realised that it could even be possible. They languidly massaged their tongues together as she felt him claim her again, more confidently this time. She melted in pleasure and bliss, feeling him in the safety of her body. The Frenchman rocked his hips faster and deeper. He quickly opened his eyes to locate her hands that he pinned again, left and right, against the sofa, lacing his fingers in hers. 

They moaned almost in sync, she rolled her hips slightly, to ease the work on him and his breath gave up.

"Oh-Leila… I-I'm getting close…!"

His hair was sticking to his brow and he couldn't muffle his voice anymore. She pulled his head to herself and locked her tongue with his, caressing it slowly, seductively. He moaned through his nose, louder and louder. She knew that his liberation was coming, he was about to fall any moment now.

His grasp on her tightened and he buried his head in her neck. Again, he slowed down, to Leila's surprise. She'd never met or heard of a man who could control himself that way…! 

_"Leila… Tu occupes mes pensées… Le jour… La nuit…"_

_[Leila… You occupy my thoughts… Day… And night…]_

He spoke with difficulty, panting for air between two words and gritting his teeth. Leila wrapped her arms around him and pulled him to her, to give him the strength he needed. She crossed her legs behind his back too.

_"Je t'aime… Je t'adore… Je n'aime que toi, je n'adore que toi… Je ne rêve que de TOI!"_

_[I love you… I adore you… I love only you, I adore no one but you… I only dream of YOU!]_

The last thrust of his hips proved to be fatal. His hips jolted involuntarily and as a reflex, Leila dug her nails in his skin, in his back and sides. He bit her shoulder softly and as the tremors passed, his bite melted into a tender kiss and a lap. His body dissolved in her arms. He breathed loudly with an open mouth, exhausted and empty.

Leila looked around her. The sofa was covered with a blanket. She pulled the end of it and covered her lover. He was covered in sweat and she didn't want him to catch a cold. 

_"Merci mon amour."_ He whispered softly in her ear and nipped at her neck sensually. She hummed in thanks. 

Lucien raised his head off her neck and looked down at her. He cupped her cheek and she smiled at him. He hadn't withdrawn from her yet. 

"Have you…?" He asked.

"Non. But it's fine." 

"Non, it's not. I said I will take you and by that I meant I will honour you, your body and your love." 

Her eyes opened wide. She felt him slowly withdraw from her. He pushed the blanket aside and sank down again, settling his head between her thighs. He looked up. 

"Leila, just know that I wouldn't do that to anyone else. I _haven't_ done that to anyone else before."

"Mon amour, you don't have to…"

"Oui, I do." 

She was about to answer but his lips made her see the stars… He made love to her like he owed her his life. And now that he took the time to think about it, he realised that in a way yes, he did. 

He closed his eyes and lapped at her as if it was summer and he was dying for a lick of a fresh ice cream. However, she was warm, so warm and he could feel her wanting more pulsating against his tongue. He flicked it on that spot he knew was most sensitive. She cried and her ribcage jumped multiple times. He frowned and tasted her better, her dark pink flesh was delicious, he couldn't get enough of it. Non, he kept honouring it, feeling tremors run through her thighs. Lucien brushed his fingers on her inner thighs smoothly, to soothe her. No doubt his play was turning her on beyond her mind, but contracting her thighs this way had to be tiring. 

Lucien let his tongue roam free, sliding against all the parts smoothly and slickly, following her moans to know where to go and what to do although to Leila, it felt like he knew exactly how to push her buttons. 

She wriggled her thighs, or at least she tried, as her moans went higher and higher in pitch. Lucien opened his eyes and glanced up, their gazes met. Ice blue and coal black. His eyes set to take her to the highest cliff, hers, holding on to him because he was her everything. Her how and her why, her what for and her cause. 

"L-Lucien, j-je vais…!"

[L-Lucien, I'm going to…!]

He spread his tongue and licked up lasciviously, moaning in his low voice. She grasped his hair violently as her legs shook, her chest waved under the surges of pleasure and Lucien felt it all. The pulses on her intimacy, against his tongue, between his lips, _and hers._

He felt the shockwaves die slowly and her breath calmed down again. He slid back to her mouth and kissed her, just a quick peck. 

_"Let's go to bed."_ He said. 

"Give me a minute, please." She put her hand on her chest and took a deep breath. 

"Fine." 

Lucien stood up. Leila followed him with her eyes, lazily. She didn't have the strength to say or do anything. She watched him bend on his knees in front of the sofa. He slid an arm below her knees and one under her back. 

"Lucien, what are you-woh?!" 

He lifted her off the sofa, in his arms, and she wrapped hers around his neck. 

"If you can't walk, I will carry you."

"Merci, mon amour…"

She looked at him with such soft eyes that he couldn't but just stand there. It sounded like she hadn't finished her sentence.

_"Dis-le."_ He encouraged her. 

_[Say it.]_

She diverted her gaze. 

_"Le… Le seul homme que j'ai aimé et que j'aimerai. L'amour de…"_

_[The… The only man that I have loved and I ever will. The love of…]_

_"L'amour de ma vie."_

_[The love of my life.]_

Lucien had said it for her and felt her body tense in his arms. He carried her to their beds and laid her there. He made sure the cats were in the living room and came back to close the door. The Frenchman slipped in bed and as soon as he laid down, Leila almost threw herself at him. 

"Are you alright?" He asked. 

She laid her head on his shoulder and put a hand on his chest, before curling a leg between his.

"Oui, I just love you _too much maybe."_

"Don't be ridiculous. I love you as much as you do me. It's not too much, although I understand why you might be still a bit scared. Trust is hard to give, especially from one spy to the other."

"Non." She answered. "Lucien, I don't just love you. You… You make me feel like a… like a…"

"Like a woman. Not a toy, or a girl. You are worth more than any woman I've met in my life, don't you ever forget that. Your kindness is too precious for this world. _You_ are too precious to me."

"Thank you so much."

He pulled her closer to his lips and kissed her head. 

"Non, thank you, for giving my life a meaning and a purpose again, for lighting up a flame that had long been extinguished."

He paused. 

"Leila?"

"Oui?"

"Je crois que c'est toi la femme de ma vie."

[I do believe that you are _the woman of my life.]_

She kissed his neck dearly and they laced their fingers together before closing their eyes.

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Thanks for reading !!

I hope no one died of spice reading this ;D  
  
See you!


	50. Chapter 50

There was a knock at the Spies' room door. 

"Can you take it, Lu', I'm busy with the food?"

The Frenchman was sitting on the sofa and raised his head to her. 

"But of course." 

He put his magazine aside and made a detour to kiss her cheek and give her her mask before going to the door. 

"Oh, bonjour Engineer!"

"Ah hey, Spy, uhm, can I-can I have a word maybe?" 

The Frenchman was slightly surprised by his colleague's concerned look. 

"Of course, do come in." 

Engie lowered his voice and refused to step in the room.

"Uhm, I don't know if you want the other Spy to hear what I have to tell you… Uhm, tell you what, come to my garage whenever you can, I have stuff that I need to show you, _possibly alone."_

Lucien frowned. 

"You are starting to worry me, Engineer."

"Well, nah I mean… I went through the memories of the bots, the Scout's in particular and… I mean… I think he had memories of… well, _you."_

Lucien's eyes snapped wide. 

"Me?" 

"Y-yeah…"

The RED Spy sighed. 

"Fine, I will find you after lunch." 

"Alrighty then, thanks and sorry to bother you."

The Frenchman closed the door and sat back on the sofa. 

"Who was it?" Leila asked. 

"Engineer."

She put the pan on the table. 

"It's ready…! And what did he want?"

Lucien joined her and sat in front of her on the table. 

"Hmmm, don't tell me you've made a-?"

"Ratatouille? Oui, it's one of my favourite dishes. Give me your plate, mon amour." 

He lifted his plate to her and she served him. 

"It smells amazing, really." 

She looked at him and saw his eyes shine happily. 

"I hope the taste matches the smell then." 

"No doubt it will."

They sat opposite each other and started digging in. 

"Hmm-aah! You are taking me back in time…!" He said, delighted. 

"It's just a simple ratatouille, lots of vegetables, a tomato sauce and poof!" 

"Non, non, non I can taste the sun of the South of France, the olive trees of la Provence, the fresh and colourful vegetables, peppers, aubergines, courgettes, ah…!"

She chuckled, seeing that his fork moved faster between his mouth and his plate.

"But you didn't answer me, _mon chéri."_

_[My darling]_

"About what?" He asked. 

"What did Engie want?" 

"Uhm…" Lucien's smile vanished. 

"Something's the matter?" She asked and her lover sighed. 

"I don't know what he wanted exactly but he asked me to go and see him alone after lunch. Apparently, he managed to get some intelligence out of the bots' memories."

"Oh, that's promising. I really hope that we'll get the plans for the insides of their base."

She raised her eyes to him and realised his excitement for the ratatouille had dissolved. She looked concerned for him. 

"Mon amour, what is it? You can tell me anything."

He let his fork fall in his plate. 

"He said that there was information about me in the robot's Scout memory."

"What?!" Leila's jaw dropped. "What kind of information?"

"I don't know." 

Silence fell. Neither him nor her could continue eating. She could see it was worrying him a lot even though out of professional habit, he didn't let it show much. 

"Allons-y." She stood up and grabbed his hand, pulling him to follow her. 

[Let's go.]

She dragged him out of the flat, down the flight of stairs, through the corridor and only stopped at the door with the wrench symbol. 

"Leila-hm?!"

She stuck her index finger on his lips and looked him in the eye. The corridor was dark and the roar of Engie's machines was muffled by the door. She nonetheless whispered. _The walls have ears,_ as they say in French.

"Non, Lucien. You need answers. Look at you, you can't even eat. Non, I know you, you won't rest until you know."

She released her finger and spun on her heels to leave him. 

"Where are you going?"

She stopped sharp. 

"This is your story. If that Scout has information about you, it's either from Mann Co. or from Jérémy himself."

"Exactly, so where do you think you are going?" 

"It's _your_ past, Lucien, not mine. There might be things you don't want me to know and I respect that. I'll let you face it and come to me if you need."

"Non!" 

The Frenchman exclaimed, breaking the calm in the corridor and leapt forward. He laced his arm around her waist. 

"It might be my past, but you're my now and my future."

He pulled her to himself firmly. She laid her hands flat on his chest, on his vest, shocked by the sudden embrace.

"Lucien, I appreciate it but-mh?!"

This time, he put his index on her lips. 

"Non. Whatever there is, I want you to know it."

She raised surprised eyebrows.

"Leila… Why don't you understand…? I keep on repeating it but you never understand, do you?"

_What?_ She asked with her eyes riveted up to his.

"Now, my story is yours." He said, releasing his finger from her lips. "I want you to live _with me_. Not _next to me._ _With me._ Whatever happens to me, I want you to know, I want you to be… I want you to hold me entirely in the palm of your hands. _Entirely_ means without secrets or half-truths. I want you to know everything there is about me. If you're my last and my best, be my everything, be that one person who can say that _they know me completely,_ be the one that I can _finally_ abandon myself to. _"_

Her eyes were open wide and her jaw slowly sank down. She could see his pleading eyes even in the dark.

"Please… Will you do that for me?" He squeezed her waist and pressed his forehead against hers.

"Non." She answered and his heart stopped beating. It sank and fell to the floor, shattering like glass. "I won't do that for you. I shall do it _for us._ "

She looked left and right and after making sure she couldn't see or hear anyone, she quickly cupped his cheeks and kissed his lips. She felt his tremble against her at first, but they soon pressed harder. He was really saying _"Merci."_

Leila withdrew and opened her eyes. Lucien was still not himself. She smiled. 

_"Allez Monsieur l'Espion, au travail."_

_[Now, Mister Spy, back to work.]_

He smiled to her and cleared his throat. 

"Merci."

[Thanks.]

"You'll thank me later." 

She took his hand and clenched firmly as she turned to face the door. Leila casted a last glance at her lover and smiled in a comforting way as she knocked at the door. 

"Come in!"

She squeezed his hand quickly one last time before releasing it. 

" _Après toi, bel homme."_

_[After you, handsome man.]_

The smirk that he gave her sent shivers down her spine. He adjusted the knot on his tie and set his mind. Lucien confidently took the door handle in his hand and twisted his wrist. 

"Ah, hey Spah - oh, hey Spah too, sorry I hadn't seen you at first." Engineer said. 

"No problem."

"Uh, come in and take a seat over there, I'm sorry I only have this quite worn out couch…!"

The Frenchman nodded and they all started to walk to the couch. When his eye hit the sofa, he rolled his eyes. Leila read his mind like an open book. 

_Can't people invest in comfortable furniture? What's the point of a sofa if it's not comfortable…? Oh at least it looks in better shape that Lawrence's…_

She gently shoved him with her elbow. He looked down at her intrigued. Her gaze spoke louder than words. 

"Tu penses tellement fort que je t'entends."

[You think so loud that I manage to hear you.]

"Sorry?" Engie asked. 

"Non, pardon me, I was talking to Spy." Leila answered with a kind smile. 

"Ah, alrighty then."

The two spies sat on the sofa and Engie took a chair that he unfolded in front of them. 

"Right so, uhm, can I speak freely, Spah?" Engie's eyes were on Lucien. 

"Oui, talk to us as freely as if it was me alone. What do you have?" 

The short man nodded. 

"Uh, I don't know how to say that but eh… It seems that you and the RED Scout know each other quite well, eh?" 

Engineer's hand went behind his neck. He was visibly embarrassed. 

"Engineer, say what you need directly. I am ready to hear it." Lucien answered, his ice eyes on the Texan. 

"Well, uh, so I was going through the data that they have in their memory, the bots and uh, well, I've stumbled upon… Argh, let me show you on that screen." 

He went to the nearby table and took the remote for the small TV screen. 

"Uh, just to be sure Spy, you're certain you want me to show you that in front of _our_ Spy?" 

Lucien's foot was restlessly tapping on the floor. Leila had noticed it and was torn apart. On one hand, she wanted to do something to soothe him, anything! But under Engie's eyes...?

The Frenchman raised his eyes to the Texan. 

"Let me be clearer, Engineer." 

The short man raised an eyebrow. He watched as the man in the red suit removed one glove, then the other and took Leila's hand in his, lacing his fingers through her gloved ones. His eyes never left Engie's. She felt his fingers clench hard as the rush of blood that surged through her body made her go blind for an instant. 

"Do I need to explain further?" 

Engie's jaw had dropped to the floor. He looked at him and her repeatedly. Leila's eyes were on her lover, that absolute madman… Had he lost his mind?! Showing _that_ could mean the end! It was immensely unprofessional! What was he thinking?! 

Lucien's heart beat fast. He had the feeling he had done something prohibited and incredibly dangerous but it also felt that he had broken free from chains that had been cuffing him his whole life.

Oh, but then it struck Leila. If Engie knew for Jérémy, then it mattered very little.

She freed her hand from his and Lucien's head turned to see why. She removed her gloves and held his right hand with her left one. She leant against his shoulder and her eyes slowly went up to Engineer. 

"I-I guess it makes sense…" Engie concluded. 

"So pray show us what you want." Lucien asked and Engie switched the screen on. 

"It's these few pictures that made me click." 

Leila's eyes opened wide and she unstuck herself from her lover's shoulder.

"I guess that's his mother. He really looks like her... " 

"Those look like pictures from a photo album." Leila said. 

"Yeah…"

The grip from Lucien's fingers tightened on her hand. 

"That's their house I guess… Pictures of the young Scout, as a kid aaaand there!"

"That looks like a very old picture, much older than the previous ones?" Leila asked.

"Seems so. I didn't see it first but look carefully… I'm guessin' the lady is still Scout's mom and next to her… It's… It's a man in a mask, like yours." 

Leila's hand went to her mouth as her eyes snapped wide open. She looked at her lover, he lowered his head and covered his eyes with his hand. 

"So that's why you want us to get your team back?" Engie asked. 

Lucien nodded in silence. 

"Please Engie, keep it to yourself." Leila asked. 

"Of course. It's none of my business. If anything, I'm not interested in that in itself. I'm more curious as to how they managed to get such pictures in a robot's head… Uh, I'll uh, I'll be back in a minute." Engineer saw how stricken his colleague in the red suit was and decided to leave the two spies alone. Leila nodded in thanks and waited to hear the door click shut to speak. 

"Lucien, talk to me. Tell me…" 

He didn't know what to say, where to start. 

"Mon amour, I'm here for you." 

Leila cupped his face and pulled it down under her chin. She hugged his head there and he curved his back to wrap his arms around her, hugging her close. 

_"Dis-moi."_

_[Tell me.]_

"Those images… I've never seen them. I've never seen him as a young child. I… I wasn't there when she gave birth, I wasn't there for her, I wasn't there for him. I just feel awful."

"If you had been there, what would it have changed? You would have put them in a lot of danger and you would have had to make them move houses every few months, even weeks. That's horrible for a family life! Imagine being a kid and having the feeling that you're thrown left and right, not even understanding why really. Non, mon amour, I said it and I'll say it again, you made the right decision."

"Maybe," He freed himself from her embrace and she saw his glistening eyes. "But part of me still thinks it's wrong."

"Of course. The perfect thing would have been to either tell her that you're a spy and work something out, or to not say anything at all and, well, I don't want to sound too blunt, but _not get her pregnant…_ "

"Oui, I know…" Lucien sighed. 

"In any case, I love you." She said and his eyebrows twitched. 

"W-what?"

"You heard me. I love you, even _that you_ that made her pregnant and left, I love you. Very few men would have the courage to do it."

"I'm more used to hearing that I'm cowardly for this."

"Well, the people who told you that are idiots. They don't see the mad courage it takes to make that decision."

"Leila?"

"Hm?" She raised her eyes to him. He was smiling tenderly.

"I love you too." 

"Thank you." She answered with a smile. 

He took her hand in his and lifted it to his lips, his eyes never leaving hers. 

"You will find me idiotic but I feel like I'm in love with you the same way as if I was twenty years younger." 

She smiled. 

"Please, non. Love me like the experienced lover you are." 

"In that case…" 

The lapping sound of their lips was faint, after all, Engie could have been next door.

_\-- Evening, living-room of the RED Base --_

"So they have your teammates in their base?!" Scout exclaimed. 

"Oui, it appears so." Lucien answered. "And thanks to Engineer's effort, we now have a plan of their base." 

Leila unrolled a large plan on the coffee table and all the mercenaries gathered around it. 

"So what's the plan, lads?" Demo asked. 

"Well, look here. Their vessel has multiple floors. The base level is a large corridor. Then, two sets of stairs." Lucien put his gloved fingers on the paper. "Ideally, we want to stay grouped. But splitting up would give us a tactical advantage."

"So what do we do?" Engineer asked. 

"We will have to decide on the spot. Either they don't have that many robots and we can split up, or we fear being overwhelmed and we stay grouped."

"Affirmative!" 

"What's next after that?" Medic asked. 

"Well, they seem to have a control room upstairs there, in the East wing. If we get access there, we can disable their lines of production of robots. That's also where general orders are given so we could simply and entirely shut them down. But before that, your Spy and I will leave you to find my team and free them."

"Where?" Heavy asked, staring at the map. 

"Here, the West wing."

"Hm. You'll be far."

"Indeed, we will but it should be reasonably doable." Leila answered. "It's not our first rescue mission."

"And what about Miss P.?" Scout asked. 

"She is held with the Administrator and the rest of my team." 

"Hm…" Medic started. "We don't seem very sure of their number." 

"Non, indeed we are not. We must exercise the most extreme caution when we get there." 

"Why not wait more? You Spies go and have a look and then we decide?" The German doctor asked. 

"Because they are done with Spy's teammates," Leila answered. "They don't need them anymore. We don't know what their intentions are with them. So if we want to prevent the worst from happening, we must act without delay." 

"I also thought of offering myself as bait." Lucien said.

"You?" Soldier asked. 

"Oui, I'm the only mercenary they're missing. But they will know it's a trap. If they know me, they know that I don't surrender without a fight." 

Leila's eyebrows jumped. She had heard him say that before… 

_I don't surrender without a fight._

When was it? 

"That's precisely why this won't work." Lucien concluded.

Her eyes snapped wide. She remembered now. It was when she had tied his wrists on _that night_ … 

"When will we do all this?" Sniper asked. 

"I would suggest tomorrow, in the night. Their patrols are lighter by then."

"Alrighty then, are we all clear then?" Engie looked around and the mercenaries nodded. 

"Then so be it!" Lucien exclaimed. "Tomorrow, we shall free my teammates and get rid of those robots!" 

"Aye!" Demo raised his bottle. 

"Yes, Sir!" Soldier saluted and soon the rest of the mercenaries all rejoiced. 

_\-- Sniper's van --_

The Australian recognised the knock. 

"Come in! And don't expect me to call you Prince!"

The Frenchman smiled and opened the door. 

"Good evening, Lawrence." 

The latter smiled and nodded. 

"What's it this time?"

"May I at least sit before I can start?" 

"Yeah, yeah." 

They both took a seat. 

"Roight, let's hear it." 

"I need to tell you something quite uh, personal." 

"If you're tryin' to tell me what you and Leila are doin', I still don't want to hear it."

"Non," Lucien chuckled. "It's something about me alone."

"Oh, you're finally admittin' yer a nuisance and apologisin'?"

"Lawrence…"

"Or maybe you're going to finally stop stabbin' people in the back and actually face them?"

" _Lawrence…?"_ Spy smiled and rolled his eyes. 

"Nah wait, I know, I know, you're going to-

"Lawrence, the RED Scout is my son."

"What, wait, hold on, _what?!"_

Lawrence blinked repeatedly as if to digest the words that slapped him across the face. Lucien let the silence weigh. 

"One, you need to learn how to talk to people, this is no way to tell me somethin' _that_ big. Two, how? Did you tell Leila?"

"One, I think you will find I know _exactly_ how to talk to people, for further proof, ask Leila. Two, well, I am sorry to explain this to you at your age but I will."

"Huh?" 

"You asked me how I got a son. Well, when a man and a woman like each other _very much…"_

"That's not what I asked, ya mongrel!"

Lucien pretended to not hear him. 

"Then they might kiss each other and then the man gets his-"

Lawrence smacked his hands on his ears. Lucien laughed and stopped. 

"I am pulling your leg."

"Bloody happy to know you are…!" 

"Let me answer everything honestly. First, yes, I did tell Leila. It seems like a long time ago now. It was at the very beginning."

"Of yer story?"

"Non, when I first moved with her."

"Why did you tell her?"

"Because somehow I felt like I could trust her… Total madness."

"What?"

"Lawrence, I'm a spy and she's an enemy one. Thinking that I can trust her is me signing my death warrant!"

"Ah, yeah, guess so." 

"I also told her because I needed her and you all to help me get him back."

"He must be dead worried about you, though."

"Who?"

"Yer son, you idiot! You're the only one not with them."

"Oh no, he doesn't know I'm his father."

"Oh…"

"Look, I do apologise." Lucien said and Lawrence's eyes snapped wide open. 

"W-why?"

"Because I should have told you too. Even before Engineer discovered, I should have told you."

Lawrence put his hand on his friend's shoulder. 

"Take yer time." 

"Merci. Although I think I have said most of what needed to be said. The RED Scout, Jérémy, is my son and I want to make sure he is safe and sound."

"That's nice of you." 

"I haven't always been there for him and - non, who am I kidding…? - I've never been there for him. So that's the least I can do for him, and his mother."

"You still have feelin's for her?"

"Non, not at all. But she raised my son, I owe her that at least."

"Fair enough. Y'know, you're not half the bastard I thought you were…"

"Thank you I guess."

"But why tell me?" Lawrence asked. 

"Because… As I said, Engie came to learn about it and it made me think. If he knows, then surely, you have to as well."

"Oh, am I worthy of Mister Spook's trust now?" Lawrence mocked gently. 

"Oh shut up, Bushman! Of course you are! You have been so since day one! Don't act as if you didn't know!"

They both laughed. 

"Y'know, your story seems all a bit weird. I mean you have a kid but he doesn't know and all that…"

"Hm, sometimes life isn't as straight-forward as grow up, get married and have children." 

"Yeah, true. But you seem to be trying your best to make it up now, so that's good."

"I think I agree with you, Lawrence. But until very recently, I didn't use to."

"What made you change yer mind?"

"Can't you guess?" 

Lawrence looked at his friend. His dreamy eyes and soft smile spelt the name of the woman living in his heart. 

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading!

Comments are greatly appreciated :D

See you for 51!

  
  
  


  
  
  



	51. Chapter 51

"So that's it, eh?"

"Oui, Lawrence. Time to shine." 

The sky was as dark as the night could be. The only source of light were the projectors on the robot vessel. The mercenaries were getting closer to the middle of the map and the entrance of the vessel. Lucien, Leila and Lawrence were leading the way, followed by the rest of the team. When they got reasonably close, they split up. 

Lucien and Leila would go first, Pyro and Scout on their flank. Soldier, Demo, Heavy, Medic and Engie were behind. The Texan was the asset to use in the control room so he had to be protected at all cost. 

Engie deployed a teleporter exit nearby. That way, the respawns wouldn't take too long and the mercs would get back to work pretty quickly. 

"Gentlemen, do you hear me?" Leila asked, checking that the earpiece worked.

"Yeah!"

"Yes!" They all answered.

"I have a visual on four guards at the vessel's entrance." Leila said. 

"I have two more patrolling North." Lucien added.

"There are two a bit further South." Sniper added. 

"How many can you take down without them flinching, Sniper?" Lucien asked. 

"Well, I'm using the Hitman's Heatmaker so I'd say if I get one, I can get at least two others silently. But you'd have to come with me and find me some place I can shoot from."

"Fine, let's go." Lucien concluded. 

The three mercenaries entered the building. Their aim was to clear the place of robots and get Lawrence on the rooftop. They slithered against the walls. The sharpshooter tried to make his footstep as silent as possible while not hearing his colleagues' at all. Lucien turned to him and put a finger on his lips. Lawrence gave him a nod and the Frenchman then looked at Leila. She nodded in a confident way.

They took down robots as they appeared on their way, silently. There weren't too many anyway. The sharpshooter was following the orders of the two spies, walking slightly behind them and holding his rifle dearly against his chest. He was impressed by how fluid the non verbal communication was between Leila and Lucien. They hardly needed to gesture each other… 

And that's when Lawrence understood how good they both were. He knew that Leila was outstanding with revolvers but now that he watched them both chain the backstabs like pearls on a necklace, it made sense. If both were good individually, as a duet, they were _deadly._

Soon they arrived on the rooftop. 

"There you are, Lawrence. We'll go downstairs again and dispose of the robots North and South and signal for you to take down the ones at the vessel's door. Don't shoot until we tell you to, understood?" 

"Yeah." 

Lucien raised his index finger.

"Then, and only then, are you to get back down and we shall enter the vessel as a group."

"Roight, got it."

" _Bien."_ Lucien and Leila turned on their heels. 

"Wait!" 

They both stopped sharp and turned with question marks in their eyes. 

"Y-you both be careful, alroight?" 

Leila walked to her friend and hugged him dearly. 

"Don't worry. We'll be fine." 

"I will not let anything happen to her, Lawrence." Lucien came close to him and shook his hand firmly.

"And me, to him." Leila replied. 

"Roight, roight. Good luck to you both." Lawrence had pulled Lucien in for a hug.

"And to you too, Snoop."

Shortly after, both spies were back downstairs. 

"I'll take the ones North, if you agree to take the ones on the South?" Lucien asked. 

"Consider it done." 

The spies parted ways and in a few minutes, Lawrence could hear in his earpiece. 

"Sniper? Now!" 

Three silent shots from the rooftop and one swift backstab later, the robots at the entrance fell. 

"Gentlemen, you can join." 

The rest of the mercs gathered at the gates. 

"Reload your weapons fully. Past this point, there will surely be fighting until we win. Or I should say that I will fight until I see my team, Miss Pauling and the Administrator free."

"Non, Spy." Leila cut him. " _We_ will fight until all these people are free." 

"Aye! Leeeet's do it!" Demo quipped enthusiastically. 

"Yes, Sir!" 

Seeing the motivation on the face of his BLU colleagues warmed Lucien's heart. 

"In that case, let us proceed!" 

Lucien nodded to Heavy who forced the main door open, prying the metal panes open powerfully, left and right.

The mercenaries entered and an alarm rang loudly in the vessel. The thunder of the robots steps woke up, rumbling from the other end of the corridor and after a few seconds, the mercenaries could see them approaching. Replicas of themselves, Soldiers, Demomen, Scouts, Pyros, Snipers, Engineers, Heavies and Medics. Their grey and lifeless reflection on a cold mirror. 

"Alright, let's go!" Scout shouted and ran at the robots, followed by Pyro's flames and accompanied by rockets and grenades. 

The robots came in a large group. They flooded the ground floor as their metallic footsteps drummed a deadly beat on the floor. Metal shards flew left and right, streaks of black oil staining the mercenaries as they were showered with blasts and gunshots. 

"Get behind me!" Medic shouted and under the overwhelming pressure of the robots, the mercenaries obeyed. 

The German doctor flipped a switch on his medigun and pulled on the handle. Heavy's bullets turned from golden to electric blue as the Russian man mowed down the metal crowd almost too easily.

It created an opening that was barely enough for both spies to slither in, fully cloaked. They ran upstairs towards the West wing, leaving their colleagues to deal with the rest of the robots. 

"Be careful, Spies."

Lawrence said before he lost sight of them. 

_\-- East Wing --_

"Alrighty then, that should be the corridor to the control room."

"More robots!" Medic exclaimed. 

The mercenaries turned and realised they were flooded again. 

" _Freeedooom!"_

Demo charged in with his eyelander in hand. From the sky, Soldier fell and hit with his shovel, left and right, sending rivets flying. Heavy and Medic pushed the front of robots back while Pyro stayed close to the Texan. The corridor was now very slippery with the atrocious amount of oil spilled on the floor.

"Medic!" 

The German doctor took his crossbow, aimed and shot. Bullseye. 

"Meeed-oh!" 

"Demo down!" Soldier shouted. 

"Go, doctor, I'll hold them!"

"Heavy, I can't leave you al-"

" _GO!"_ The Russian man roared and Medic ran to Demo. Soldier rocket jumped back to him to support him. 

Heavy walked back to Pyro and Engie. The Medical man managed to patch Demo just enough for him to actually walk back. Scout came to help too. 

"Engie! Open the door!" Scout shouted. 

"I'm tryin' but I can't!"

"What d'you mean you can't?!" 

"Let Heavy try!" 

The Russian man quickly dropped his minigun, turned and charged at the door with his shoulder first. 

"AARGH!"

The mercenaries' determination sunk when they saw that the door didn't even flinch. 

"There isn't even a lock to pick, it's almost as if - Heavy! Behind you!" 

The Russian man turned on his heels and started throwing his bare fists left and right, shouting angrily. The robots were outnumbering the mercenaries and closing down on them little by little. 

The BLU had their backs against that immobile door, trying to defend what little vital space they could between them and their metal counterparts.

_\-- West wing --_

The two masked agents ran along the walls, letting the avalanche of robots roll to their colleagues in the corridors. They managed to walk past them.

Leila felt a hand on hers and she got pulled into a room. The door locked after her. 

_"My team should be at the end of the corridor, two doors from here. Are you ready?"_

Lucien whispered and looked at her. They were both cloaked but what can you not see with the eyes of love…?

She nodded and they waited for the sound of the metal boots to die in the distance. 

"Right, let us proceed, stay close." 

They exited the room and proceeded to that last door. Both readied their revolvers. Lucien put a hand on her shoulder for the outline of their silhouettes to show. They stared in each other's eyes. He nodded, she nodded back. Lucien pushed the door and both erupted in the room, pointing their revolvers in front of them. 

It was empty. 

Leila raised an eyebrow and her eyes swept across the room. Lucien explored it with her. Nothing remarkable. Four walls, the ceiling and the floor.

"Where are they…?" She asked. 

"They should be in here, that's what the robots had in their memory!"

She looked at the ceiling. One single light bulb. On one wall, there was a square window, too high to access it. She frowned. 

"Isn't this room too small anyway for your entire team?" 

"Oui, but they might have separated them."

"It's possible, yes." She answered.

The Frenchman brushed the walls with his fingers.

"There is absolutely nothing in this room. It's almost disturbing." He said.

"It's true." She answered. 

"It was _this room_ , wasn't it?" He asked again. "You were here with me, you saw it all with me, I'm not going mad?!" 

"Non, non, you're right. I remember it very clearly, _this_ is the room where we were supposed to find the rest of the REDs."

She said and frowned again.

"Unless…" She started. 

"Unless?" 

"Unless this is not where we're supposed to find the rest of the REDs."

"What?" The Frenchman asked. 

"I have no idea but what it means is that - huh!?" She gasped and smacked a hand on her mouth, her eyes showing the danger of what she thought about.

"What is the matter?"

"Lucien, run! Get out of there!" She ran in direction of the door. 

"What?! Why?!" 

She opened the door and pulled him from his collar. 

Too late. The robots on the other side of the door took her and slapped the door shut, separating him from her.

" _LEILA!"_

Lucien threw himself at the metal doorknob and pulled, to no avail. He took his cigarette case out and wanted to pick the lock. As soon as the pin touched the lock, an electric shock paralysed him. 

" _AAARGH-LEILA! NON!"_

The shock made him drop to his knees. He sweated heavily, not knowing what was happening behind the door, God only knew what those metal boxes were doing to her. Lucien was fuming, rage steaming from his ears and nose. He gritted his teeth, took a deep breath and tried to pick the lock again. 

_AAAAAAAAAARGH!_

The high voltage current ran through his body, burning and stinging, forcing his muscles to contract erratically. He clenched his jaw as he tried to keep his eyes open and master his movements to pick the lock. 

And of course, he failed. 

_\-- Further deep in the vessel --_

"Why are they so damn loud all of a sudden…? And can't they shut that fuckin' alarm up?!" 

"Language, son." 

The young man sat down and crossed his arms on his chest. 

"Relax and get a drink, laddie."

He shook his head and made a disgusted face.

"Haven't you ran out of bottles yet?! It's been weeks!" 

The voice below the military helmet woke up surprisingly fast from the cell opposite the young man's.

"Son, you cannot deprive this private of his strength like you cannot deprive _me_ of my _freedom_!"

"What?! You're in a cell! They exactly deprived you of your freedom!"

Another man, quite older than the first adjusted his small, round spectacles on his nose.

"His blood is partly ethanol at this stage. Remove his bottle from his hands and the withdrawal symptoms would no doubt kill him. I wonder how his liver continues to function. Such a shame I don't have my equipment here..." 

The young man stood up again and paced his narrow, lonely cell. He stopped when his eyes met with two long legs flowing on the floor, in yet another cell. His eyes rose and stopped at the hat. 

"And how is he sleepin' all the time?!" 

"Is part of his job. Not move for hours." A deep slightly husky voice answered.

"Pfff… When are they gonna let us go, we've done all they wanted for months now!" He went to the bars on the door and banged his fist on it repeatedly. "Hey! Let us go, you got what you wanted!" 

"Christ's sake…" The voice below the hat complained at the loud noise of the young man's voice.

The alarm stopped ringing. 

"Fuckin' finally! A bit o'peace and quiet!" 

Eyes were rolled at the irony but soon, the eight men heard heavy, metallic footsteps coming their way. The door to the corridor of cells opened and they all turned to look. This wasn't time for any meal so they knew that something new had happened. 

"Oh, jeez…"

"Holy Mother of God…" 

The prisoners jaws dropped as their counterparts joined them in their cell.

"Holy crap, here you all were! The spies were supposed to come and get ya!".

The eight RED mercenaries were soon joined by their eight BLU ones counterparts.

_Eight?_

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading and as always, I'd be delighted to read your comments!

See you for 52!

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	52. Chapter 52

“Yeah he came to us and we said ‘Alright, we’ll help you find your team.’” The BLU Scout said.

“And you accepted?" The RED Scout asked. 

"Yeah. But I'm not doin' this to free you though, I do it for Miss Pauling."

"Well she ain't here. Her and the Admin are somewhere else." 

The mercenaries were paired up. If they're the same class, they're in the same cell, _for most of them._

"Do you know what they want?" The BLU Medic asked, looking at all the mercenaries in the cells. 

"Well, first they wanted to know us, so they'd take us and ask us questions one by one." The RED Demo answered before burping loudly. "They also measured us." 

"Measured?" BLU Medic repeated.

"Yeah, lad, they put us against a wall and measured everything as if they were gon'tae make us custom clothes…"

The RED Texan continued:

"Yeah, they'd also plug a… an apparatus of some sort on our head and, well at first I thought it was to see if we were tellin' the truth but if they wanted a lie detector, they'd monitor our heart rates, not our heads."

"You're right pardner," the BLU Engie answered. "Turns out they were going through your very memories."

"What?!" 

"I've had a look at a robot Scout and Pyro and their memories is full of things that happened to you guys." He pointed at the the RED Scout and Pyro. 

"That's a brilliant contraption then. Never heard of technology like that before." The RED Engie said. 

_\-- Further away --_

_Bugger, bugger, bugger, bugger - Nnnh!_

He stuck his back to the wall and sweated heavily as the rhythmic metal footsteps walked past him. 

_Fffew…_

He sighed. 

_Bugger, bugger, bugger, bugger, bugger -_

He went through a corridor leading towards the North. That one was not on the map that he had seen so chances are that it would lead exactly where he needed to go. 

_Bugger, bugger, oop-_

The tall man looked at the watch and stopped walking. He crouched in a corner and waited for the blue lines to fill the meter on the watch again before resuming his walk. 

_Bloody Spooky bastard. He knew this could happen so when he shook my hand, he left his watch with me..._

Every step he took undetected brought him closer to his goal and even if he was a very patient man, he could not wait to find his colleagues again.

A noise caught his attention. It came from one of the doors in the corridor. The tall man walked and let the repeated high-pitched beeps guide him. The door had a round window. He peeked through. 

_Bloody hell, Spook…_

His eyes darted left and right. One Medic robot. 

_How the hell will I get in without openin' the door…?_

He pondered for a while. 

_Well, it'd be much easier if they were kangaroos. Very easy to distract and then-oh!_

An idea flashed in his head like a lightbulb switched on. He knocked on the door and stuck his back to the wall next to it. He heard something. The noise grew louder and louder until the door flashed open and the robot Medic peeked out. 

Lawrence took a bullet from his jacket pocket and threw it at the end of the corridor. As it hit the floor and bounced repeatedly, he saw the robot turn and head in that direction. 

The robot bent down but took a while to understand where the noise was coming from. 

_Now!_

Lawrence slipped in and managed to lock the door from the inside. The tall man made sure all the doors were locked and rushed to the bed. The noise of the beeps came from next to the bed. The Australian decloaked.

_"Oh, shite.. Spook?"_

The Frenchman was lying on a hospital bed in a thin white robe. The beeps were in fact his heart beat. He looked unconscious and didn't react to his friend's voice. 

"Bloody hell Lucien…" 

His face and arms were covered in burn marks that looked like branches of a tree. But he wasn't wearing his mask.

"What the hell happened to you? You look like you've been struck by a lightning bolt…"

Lawrence looked left and right. 

"And more importantly, how the hell am I supposed to get you out of here? You're wired from everywhere…?" 

He sighed and stared.

"Leila's right though, you look great without yer mask."

He heard some noise coming his way.

"Roight, gotta find Medic then. He'll know what to do." 

Lawrence went to the door and unlocked it. He cloaked and looked behind him. 

"Don't worry mate, I'll come back for you." 

_\-- Prison cells --_

Two of the mercenaries didn't have their counterparts with them. The RED Sniper and the BLU Spy. 

"Spy?" 

Leila was sat in a corner of the cell, her head in her knees and her arms wrapped around herself. She ignored Scout's voice. 

"Leave her alone, pardner." 

" _Her?"_ The RED Scout asked and his RED colleagues raised their heads to her.

"Y-yeah. She's a _she."_ The BLU Engie answered. "But uh, leave her alone, son, don't bother her."

"She didn't say a word since we arrived here. I mean… and where's our Spy?" 

"Well, I don't know. But same for our Sniper. He's just not here."

Leila's head popped up. 

" _Lawrence…?"_ She whispered.

Her face was covered in tears. She crawled to the bars of her cell and wrapped her fingers around them. She was on her knees and looked defeated. 

"Non, non, non… Please, not him, not _them_ …" 

"Is she alright?"

She raised her eyes and saw that the RED Scout had asked. And it came in her mind like a wave. 

She had promised to set Jérémy free. But here she was now, in a cell, alone and disarmed. God only knew what Lucien and Lawrence were going through, _if_ they were still going… 

Her tongue went to her fake wisdom tooth at the back of her mouth. If the worse came to happen, the cyanide it contained would be her way out. There was no point living if Lucien was not by her side. She did not feel alive anyway. 

Her eyes met the young man's. He did not look like his father very much but she could see something. Was it his cheekbones maybe? Or the shape of his eyes?

She stared without realising it. 

"Uh, got a problem with me?" He asked. 

She did not answer and stood up on her feet. 

"I made a promise." She finally answered. "I would free you."

"Me?" He asked. 

"Oui, you and your team. I convinced my entire team to follow me and now we're all locked up like animals. I failed. I'm-"

The door opened and two large Heavy robots entered. They made way for the silhouette of a small, skinny and rather old man. His hair was at his chin's length and was snow white. He wore a grey suit. 

"My apologies for interrupting but I thought it was the right moment to introduce myself." 

Leila frowned. 

"Who the fuck are ya?!" One of the Scouts asked. 

"The reason why you are behind these bars. I am the legitimate heir of Mann Co., Gray Mann." 

"What?" The BLU Engie asked. "Mann Co. belongs to the Administrator." 

"No, no, no…!" The old man shook his index finger. "Not anymore. It is mine now. I am getting my father's company back and I will get its true wealth."

"What d'you mean?" The RED Engie asked.

"This war over gravel and my two deceased brothers is useless. I will employ you to a much more profitable end. You idiots were fighting above what I believe is a promising mine of Australium and gold."

"Australium's only found in Oz, ya picker." The RED Sniper answered. 

"You are right but what is this then?" 

The old man took a golden nugget out of his pocket. It shone beautifully. He pressed a button on one of the robots and inserted the bit of Australium in. The robot's eyes switched off for a moment. When they lit up again, they were bright yellow. 

"Heavy, would you please release the two Russians." 

The robot without the Australium obeyed and of course as soon as the two (human) Heavies were free, they threw themselves at him, beating him up to a pile of metal scraps. The second robot walked up to them. The two Russians leapt at him but in one swift punch they were both sent flying back in their cell, knocked out. 

"Heavy!" Both Medics jumped to their door, frustrated to not be able to help.

"Oh, don't worry, they will wake up." Gray Mann said.

The robots shut the door to their cell again.

"I still need them as much as I need you all."

"Wait, if the disagreement between Blutarch and Redmond is settled, what do you need us for?" Leila asked. 

"You were advertised as a brilliant spy. And yet you don't get it. Well at least you're alive and well, unlike your counterpart." 

Leila's knees couldn't carry her anymore and she fell to the ground. Her ears rang loudly and they hurt. 

_Well at least you're alive and well, unlike your counterpart._

The words resonated in her skull repeatedly.

"Whatever you did to him, I will find you and I WILL KILL YOU FOR IT." She shouted, tears of rage and frustration rolling on her cheeks and caught by the mask. 

Gray Mann smiled. 

"I would love to see you try." He pressed a button on his robot and took the Australium nugget back. "So here is my job offer to you all. You can work for me in the mines that I will develop. Robots are efficient but humans are intelligent so I need a few of you at least. We find as much Australium as needed to fuel an army of robots. We then invade Australia and take the rest of it."

"Or what?" Scout asked. 

"Or you can decide to refuse my offer and my robots will use you as target practise."

The mercenaries lowered their heads. They knew their lives were dangerous, they knew they were paid killers and as such, they could die any day. But the perspective of working in a dark mine wasn't enchanting either. 

The Scouts and Demos thought about their mothers. They couldn't leave them. Medics, about the amount of experiments still to be carried out, Soldiers, about the wars to win and the continuous threats to the freedom of their country. Sniper thought about his parents in the Outback…

_\-- Not that far away --_

_Bugger, Bugger, bugger…_

Lawrence peeked through all the windows of the doors he happened to see, continuing to avoid the patrols of robots along his way. The trick to distract the robots with the bullets he carried worked wonderfully, although he would soon run out of them. His eyes scanned inside the room through the window.

_Weapons?_

He entered and gasped, his eyes scanning the room. Weapons of all shapes and sizes. He stopped when he saw some of them.

_That's our weapons?!_

He got closer and took what his pockets could carry. Watch, revolvers, knives, he put as many pistols as he could around his waist and put an extra rifle on his back. It was very uncomfortable and quite heavy but he needed to take as much as he could to give his friends when he would find them. His eyes stopped at the cigarette case. He took it and kept it in his hand. Surely the disguise kit would come in handy.

_Argh - my back'll hurt like hell after all that._

He looked at the watch. The cloak meter was full again. 

_Roight._

He exited the room on the tip of his toes and walked along the corridor. There were more and more robots.

_Bugger, bugger, bugger… Either I'm getting closer or I don't know..._

He saw an open door and heard a voice. Lawrence came close and listened. 

"I see you are all agreeing to work for me. Well, that turned out easier than I expected!" 

He peeked in and saw the back of a little man in a grey suit and a big Heavy robot. His eyes darted left and right. 

_Bloody hell I've found them! They're all here!_

His face radiated with a smile but soon it vanished.

_Wait, they're locked up in cells..._

The man and the robot were standing between him and his friends. He was too heavy loaded to comfortably take his rifle and shoot them both. He could not avoid them either, they were close to the doorway itself! 

"UNUSUAL ACTIVITY DETECTED. MEDICAL WING."

The speakers shouted loudly. 

The little man peeked out of the room. 

"Send reinforcements there at once. I want to know exactly what it is about." 

_Shit, they must have found one of my bullets…_

Most of the robots went away, leaving the old man and his big Heavy bodyguard alone.

_How the hell am I s'pposed to get in there, they're standin' in the bloody door, blocking the way and that fat Heavy has a gigantic back - oh!_

His eyes lit up. He put the disguise kit on the ground slowly and silently put a hand in his pocket. 

Gray Mann continued his speech. 

"I might use you two in the research section." He pointed at the Engineers. "We could always improve on the robots and more crucially, the amount of Australium it takes to fuel my army. The fewer they take, the more robots we can produce and then, the easier it is to take over Australia, isn't it - AARGH!" 

The mercenaries opened wide eyes. 

Gray Mann's face contorted as he shouted his lungs out of pain. Him and his robot bodyguard fell to the ground, a blade peeking out of each one's backs.

A tall man loaded like a mule with weapons wiped his hands and stood behind the corpses.

"Take that ya old stupid bastard! And don't you dare touch Australia, ya hear me?!" 

Lawrence spat on Gray Mann's lifeless body.

"Lawrence?!" 

He grabbed the disguise kit back and shut the door, locking it from the inside again.

"Leila!" He wanted to run at her but he forgot about the countless weapons he was carrying with him. "Oh, wait." 

Lawrence threw a pistol for each mercenary, he put the extra rifle on the floor in front of his counterpart's cell and ran to her. He put his hands on the bars of her cell. 

"How the hell am I s'pposed to get you all out now?! I don't have the keys!"

"Give me my disguise kit." She answered. 

"Well if you can disguise as a sheet of paper or a stick and slide between the bars, yeah, go ahead, Princess…!" 

He handed it to her and she opened it. 

"Non, Snoop, look…"

She picked the lock and in a few seconds, she got out and threw herself in her friend's arms. He picked her up and spun around.

"I'm so glad to see you! How did you not get caught?! And how did you find us?" 

"Uh, guys, could you please uh...?" The BLU Scout asked. 

"Oh of course." 

Leila went to each cell and picked the locks the ones after the other. 

"Ugh, what happened..?" 

Both Heavies woke up from their slumber and saw their Medics helping them up. 

"I'll tell you how I got here later, Princess. I know where we can get the rest of our weapons and how to get out of here - "His face darkened. "Uh, about Lucien… I-I don't know how to say this but uh…" 

"You don't need to." Leila answered as she walked to Gray Mann's corpse. She withdrew the blade from his back. It was hers. She then pulled out the one stuck in the robot's back. It was Lucien's. 

"I know." She stared at his blade in her hand.

The mercenaries exited their cells and gathered around her. She flipped Gray Mann's corpse on his back, her eyes full of tears and took her revolver. She stood up tall and aimed the gun down. Her index was shaking on the trigger as the rest of the crowd stared in silence. Lawrence realised that she was aiming at his head, between his eyes.

The old man opened his eyes slightly. 

"He isn't dead after a backstab?!" Lawrence asked. 

"You didn't stab him in the heart." She coldly answered. 

"You took him away from me." She started. "You took him away from me and hurt him… Do you have any idea why he came here at all, his true motivation?" 

Gray Mann found the energy to pull his lips to a smirk. 

"You _know_ …" She frowned. "You know why he came and you - you… You have no family and you didn't understand."

" _Why should he… have a family?"_ The dying man answered. 

"He was ready to do anything." She answered and felt Lawrence's hand on her shoulder. 

"He did." Some blood started spilling from between Gray Mann's lips. "I thought you both would work for me… Two top spies… I'd have sent you… to Australia… It would have worked… beautifully…" 

Leila's thumb went to her revolver and readied it. Her whole arm was shaking. Never had she hesitated to shoot a man like that. Not that she didn't want to. She thought that once shot, he wouldn't feel anything. She wanted him to suffer. If she had the time, she would have made sure he would have felt pain beyond anything he had experienced so far.

She felt Lawrence's breath down her neck and clenched her hand on the revolver's handle.

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Woooh! Thanks for reading this one!

Do let me know what you think of it in the comments :D !

See you for 53!

  
  
  



	53. Chapter 53

Leila's hands were sweaty under her gloves. 

The silence and tension weighed heavily in the room as the mercenaries started to understand why she was out of her mind with rage at Gray Mann. 

"Wait, hold on, why are you so angry and hesitatin'? Just shoot'im and let's go!" The BLU Scout said. 

"Son, it ain't that easy…" The BLU Engie removed his hard hat off his head and looked serious. 

"Oh… I get it now." His RED counterpart copied him.

"What?! What's goin' on?" The RED Scout asked.

"She loved the RED Spy, lad." The BLU Demo answered and all the mercenaries shared Leila's pain. They all had experienced it, a heartbreak. But none had lost their loved one to the enemy.

"What?! Spy's your boyfriend?" The BLU Scout asked. 

"Mate…" Lawrence wanted to cut him.

"B-but he told me he didn't know if you were with someone…" 

"He lied." Lawrence answered. 

"Why?" 

"Your sentimentality will be the cause of your loss." Gray Mann cut them all. "Once you shoot me, my army will come and kill you." 

"As if I cared." She coldly answered. "You removed my reason to live. I don't care if I die. I could turn this very revolver to my own temple and shoot myself dead now." 

There was a metallic click coming from the door, the latch yielded and all the mercenaries pointed their guns at the door. 

"Ne fais pas ça." 

[Don't do that.] 

Leila dropped her gun it landed with a metallic cling on the floor.

The man in the doorway could hardly stand up on his bare feet. He was leaning on the door frame, his white robe covering his chest and his upper thighs. His hair was ruffled, completely disorganised. His face was covered in burn marks and he could barely open his eyes fully. 

"L-Lucien?" She could hardly say his name but when she did, he smiled. 

"You will alert the - argh - the robots, if you shoot. Just do it with your blade." He answered.

Lawrence went to him to help him stand.

"Ah, merci." 

"Think again!" Gray Mann had picked up Leila's revolver from the floor and was aiming at her. He was grinning evilly. The barrel of the gun went from her to up towards the ceiling. 

_He'll alert them all!_ She thought. 

"Non."

"Argh…" Gray Mann's last sigh escaped his lips, as he now had a bullet hole on his forehead. The Frenchman smiled. He felt dizzy, the whole world was turning like a carousel before his eyes and yet, the bullet was perfectly shot.

"You have created enough problems." Lucien answered, a revolver with a suppressor in his hand. He raised his head and looked at Leila with a smile. 

"Mon Dieu…" She leapt to him and went for a hug.

"Ooh, ouch, gently, please…" 

"Oh, sorry…" 

He wanted to hold her in his arms but he couldn't stand on his own. Lawrence was supporting most of his weight and Lucien pained to keep his eyes opened, he lowered his head.

"Mon amour?" She asked. 

He raised his face with difficulty, his eyes closed, and put his lips out to her. She understood and cupping his face, she put her lips on his, smiling. 

Lawrence looked down at them and smiled.

"Where did you find that gun anyway?!" Lawrence asked. 

The Frenchman broke the kiss and took a moment to catch his breath before answering.

"Same place as you did… I was following you all along, Bushman… Argh… It burns, everything burns…" Lucien dropped his gun and fainted. 

Both Medics jumped to take a look at him. 

"Lay him on the floor…" 

The Heavies helped. 

"Roight, what should we do?" The RED Sniper asked.

"We need weapons!" Soldier exclaimed. 

"I know where to find some." Lawrence answered. 

"And Miss Pauling and the Admin'?" The BLU Scout asked. 

"I'll find them." Leila answered. "But we need to evacuate Spy and get him to safety." She knelt down next to the Medics. 

"He will make it but he needs a proper bed and he needs to be treated properly. His burn marks need to be dealt with. He passed out out of pain." 

"I will go with doctors." One of the Heavies said. 

"Alright so Heavy and Medics, you get Spy back to the base. Use the teleporter outside the vessel." 

Medic nodded. 

"The rest of us will find the Administrator and Miss Pauling. We'll also attract the robots so that they will leave you alone." Leila concluded. "Are we all clear?" 

The mercenaries nodded. 

"Gentlemen, let's go!" 

_\-- Evening, BLU Base --_

There was a knock at the door. She recognised it and went to the door. 

"Hey, Princess."

She let her friend in. He was carrying a plastic box in his hands.

"I'm surprised to find you here. I went to the Medic's bay and-"

"I needed to feed the cats. " She cut him. "Usually, he does it but…" 

She lowered her head and rested it on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. 

"It's alroight."

He heard her sniff. 

"Leila…"

"I keep on thinking about what happened again and again. I should have understood it earlier. I should have not let him go in that room at all…" 

"Hey, don't beat yerself up. What happened, happened. And the main thing is that we got everyone back, including Miss Pauling and the Administrator."

Silence. She sniffed more and hugged him tighter. 

"It's all my fault…" 

"No it's not, don't say nonsense! No one knew that you'd get caught!" 

"Lawrence," She looked up at him. "We got in the room where we thought that the REDs were held. It was empty and I understood that it was a trap to get him. But I got it too late…" 

"'s not yer fault."

"Yes it is! I should have understood it and reacted faster! Why did it take me so long?!" She shouted angrily. 

"Look, I-I don't know… I guess you were wonderin' where the REDs were?"

"Oui… And it was enough to distract me. How - merde…" 

He pulled her to sit on the sofa and put the box on the table. 

"What is it?" She asked. 

"You didn't come to dinner so I put some stuff aside for ya. You'd better eat. Today was a long day." 

"Thank you, Lawrence, but I'm not hungry." 

"I knew you'd say that so I brought this as well." 

He put a box of biscuits on her lap. 

"The bikkies you liked. It's my last box of them."

"Oh, thank you…" 

"I asked my mum not to send me more, I don't really know what we'll do with Mann Co. now. So I might be goin' back to my parents. But, uh, yeah, to come back to what we were sayin', you should have dinner." 

"I'll try." She simply answered, her eyes on the pack of biscuits on her lap.

"Roight, I'll leave you to it. Hootsy needs his food too."

They rose from the sofa and she accompanied him to the door.

"Promise me you'll eat somethin'." 

She looked up at him, a sad smile on his lips.

"I-I can't. I feel weird eating without him." 

"Roight, but please don't starve yerself, ok?"

"Fine." She answered. 

He hugged her dearly, pulling her head to his chest, under his chin. He kissed her head and looked in her eyes.

"Take care of yerself, ok?"

"I'll do my best. Actually, let me go with you, I need to talk to Medic." 

_\-- Medic's office --_

"Come in!" 

Leila pushed the door. 

"Oh, Spy, are you alright?" 

"O-oui. Well, as fine as I can be…" 

"What brings you here, take a seat." 

She sat down on the other side of the desk. 

"Be honest with me, will he make it?" 

"Ah…" The German doctor sighed. "If you want me to be honest, I will. His burns are the tip of the iceberg and they're the least of my concerns." 

She opened wide eyes and Medic went on.

"He must have been exposed to a prolonged electric shock."

"Is it torture?" She asked.

"No idea. Could be."

She bit her lip in guilt.

"The internal damage is way worse that the damage on his skin. Chances are most of his scars will disappear in time but the lesions on his organs worry me. All of them are damaged to some extent and of course I am mostly worried by his heart and brain." 

Leila put a leg on the other and her hand on her cheek. 

"The fact that he managed to walk and talk, even though briefly, is reassuring. In fact, in the state he's in, it is a miracle. He shouldn't have been able to even open his eyes but…"

"But…?" 

"But he didn't just faint when he collapsed. He is in a coma, Spy. God only knows if-" Medic bit his lip. " _Uh, when_ he will wake up."

"Is it foolish of me to keep hoping? Be blunt, Doctor." 

"I honestly don't know."

Silence fell. Leila felt her throat tighten, as if there was a burning iron ball held up there.

" I did everything I could, Spy, and I will maintain him alive for as long as I am in this laboratory. I will of course let you know if anything new comes up."

"Is it possible to see him?" 

"Ja. He's next door, you may go whenever you wish. I'll stay here. The Administrator asked me to write a report on what happened and it will take me quite a lot of time." 

"Fine." She rose to her feet. "Thank you, Medic."

He nodded to her and she went to the door. 

"Spy?" 

She had the doorknob in her hand and stopped sharp.

"Oui?" 

"I am sorry for you, I understand that you uh, _appreciate_ him." 

"Non, Medic. I _love_ him, he's… He is everything. I… I can't live without him."

She left the Medic Bay and went back to her room, dragging her feet.

_\-- Later, in the night --_

Leila could not sleep. She tossed and turned in her bed that seemed infinitely big and empty. Perle and her kittens had come on the bed with her. 

"Perle?" She whispered. 

"Meow?" 

In the dark, she heard the meow but didn't see where it came from. Soon, she felt the soft fur of the lady cat brush against her face. 

"Are you asleep?" 

"Meow." 

Perle purred. 

"Meow? Meow… Meow…!" 

The kittens woke up and mewled repeatedly. 

"I-I'm sorry he's not here… I miss him too…" 

The balls of fluff climbed on her and she felt like they hugged her everywhere. Leila switched on the night lamp and Perle's pupils retracted. 

"I miss him so much…" 

Leila hugged Perle and cried in her fur. She felt as if she was wringing herself, her ribcage and stomach contracting painfully under her sobs. She kept herself as silent as possible, as if she didn't want _him_ to hear. 

It was ridiculous. He was far away. He was unconscious. Of course he wouldn't hear her. But she felt ashamed. She wasn't used to let her tears out so easily and yet it she had spent the time in her cell crying silently. And now in her bed too…

"Meow." 

Perle 's meow broke her sobs. 

"What? I can't eat without him, I can't sleep without him, I can't do anything!" 

She burst out between two sobs.

"Meow!" 

Leila opened her eyes and looked Perle in the eyes. 

"I can't bother Lawrence now. It's way too late. He must be asleep. I don't want to bother him." 

She sighed. 

"It's… It doesn't make a shred of sense. I've lived my entire life without him. More than three decades, Perle. And one dinner without him, I cannot eat. One night without him, I cannot sleep…"

She paused and looked at the lady cat's deep blue eyes. 

"I can't sleep without him…" She repeated. 

"Meow!" 

"Pfff, you're right." 

Leila got off her bed and went to put her dressing gown on. It was on the back of the chair in the bedroom, next to _his blue one._ Her hand hovered for an instant before grabbing the blue one and slipping it on top of her night dress. She went to her front door.

"Meow?"

"Perle, I-I…"

"Meow? Meow? Meeeow..?" 

The kittens grouped around her legs and mewled repeatedly. Leila sighed. 

"Fine, but stay quiet!" She put an index on her mouth and all the cats stopped their concerto. "Now follow me closely and stay silent." 

She took his cigarette case with her and slipped out of the room, and into the corridor, the herd of fur on her heels. She crossed the silent and dark base. As she walked past the kitchen, the digital clock read 2.36am. It was cold in the base and she pulled the dressing gown tighter around her waist. 

She entered the Medic bay as easily as if it wasn't locked and in no time, she was sitting on the chair next to her unconscious lover.

_Beep… Beep… Beep…_

She switched on the lamp on the night table and stared at him. 

_Beep… Beep… Beep…_

"Tu restes le plus bel homme que j'aie jamais vu malgré les cicatrices." 

[You are still the most handsome man I have ever seen despite your scars.] 

_Beep… Beep… Beep…_

"Les chats ont insisté pour venir te voir. Tu leur manques à eux aussi."

[The cats insisted to come and see you. They miss you too.]

_Beep… Beep… Beep…_

She shyly raised her hand and delicately put it on top of his.

_Beep… Beep… Beep…_

"Tu me manques." 

[I miss you.]

_Beep…_

"Tu es là, devant moi, et tu me manques."

[You're here, in front of me, and I miss you.]

Leila brushed her fingers on the back of his hand. She looked at him, his hair, his dark eyebrows, his shut eyelids, completely immobile, his long dark eyelashes, his slim and slightly hooked nose, his slim cheeks and his lips. 

His lips. 

One of the last things he did before collapsing was kissing her. 

Leila lowered her head. 

"Je suis désolée."

[I am sorry.] 

_Beep… Beep…_

"C'est de ma faute, j'aurais dû réaliser plus tôt."

[It's my fault, I should have realised earlier.] 

_Beep… Beep…_

"Médic m'a dit que tu as reçu des chocs électriques intenses et prolongés."

[Medic told me that you received intense and long electric shocks.]

_Beep… Beep… Beep…_

Leila sighed. She wanted to tell him so much more but she didn't want to tire him. She frowned. Tire him? The man is in a coma! He can't even hear her! She took a deep breath. 

"I will wait for you. I will wait for as long as it takes. As long as you're alive, I have a reason to live." 

Her mind rolled back in time. 

"I remember when you took me out for dinner. I don't think I'm that easy to seduce but you got me even before we reached the restaurant."

She smiled sadly. 

"Your suit was gorgeous. And I remember you telling me that you knew dark blue was my favourite colour. How did you know?"

_Beep… Beep… Beep…_

"Oh but wait, Lawrence told me that he helped you choose your suit, _he_ must have told you for my favourite colour! And I must admit it suited you devilishly well."

She shook her head. 

"Ah, Lucien, mon amour… When you removed the mask in the car I could see why women fell for you in the blink of an eye despite the dark night. Even with the mask on, God gave you some eyes… I can't describe them."

Leila pondered. 

"When you look at me, I have this weird feeling inside. It's as if I fall in love again when you irises fall on me. And I just want one thing. In that instant when your eyes are on me I feel so privileged. And I would kill for one thing: the certainty that you too fall in love anew when my eyes fall on you."

Leila put the cigarette case on the night table and Perle jumped on her lap. The cat looked at her master. 

"Meow?"

"He is in a coma, Perle." Leila brushed the long white fur with her fingers. "Medic doesn't know if or when he will wake up."

Perle's purring stopped and she looked at Leila. 

"Meow?" 

"I have waited more than three decades to find him and I'll wait three more if I have to. I'm not leaving his side."

The lady cat stood on her back legs and brushed her head on Leila's mouth. 

"Oh… Don't worry Perle, I won't leave him and I won't leave you and your children. I will be there."

Perle purred again and the kittens climbed on the night table and on Leila's lap. The night would be a short one for them all. But who cared? They had nothing else to do and there wasn't any other place they needed to be. 

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading! 

I hope you liked this one :) 

Stay tuned for 54!

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	54. Chapter 54

"Come in."

Lawrence pushed the door. 

"Ah, Sniper, how can I help?"

"Hey, Doc'. Uhm, I was lookin' for Spy. I went to her room but it's dead silent and she's not answerin' my knocks so I thought she might be with you." 

"She actually is next door, with the RED Spy. Come, I will show you. But please be as quiet as possible." 

Lawrence raised a curious eyebrow. Why should he be very quiet? 

"Oh, uh, roight." 

He followed the man in the labcoat and both stopped in front of the door. 

"Look." Medic whispered, pointing through the circular window on the door. 

Lawrence peeked in. 

"Oh, bloody hell… Did she-?" 

"I think so." Medic answered, still whispering. "Although she must have joined him during the night because when I went to sleep, I checked on him and he was alone." 

"And she's not wearing her mask either…" Lawrence realised. 

"No, she isn't."

"Roight, I-I'll come back later. She needs her sleep." 

"I can let you know when she wakes up if you want." Medic suggested. 

"Ah, that'd be nice, yeah."

"Do you want me to take a message for her?" 

"N-nah, I can wait, it's fine." 

"Alright. I'll go back to my office. See you later, Sniper."

"Uh Doc'?"

"Ja?" 

"Any news on him?" 

Medic shook his head. 

"No, his state is stable. There was no changes during the night either."

"Oh ok… Thanks." 

Lawrence stayed in front of the closed door as Medic's footsteps died in the distance. The Australian's eyes were scanning the scene. 

Leila had fallen asleep on the chair, her head on the bed, next to Lucien's arm and her hand on his. Lawrence could see the cats on her lap and around her. One of them was even on Lucien's legs. She was facing the other way but Lawrence could see her black, short curls at the back of her head.

_Christ, I guess she couldn't sleep in her room so she came here to be with him._

The Australian watched and stared, through the small window like an old TV screen. The sun was shining through the windows and in the room but it obviously didn't bother Leila.

_I'll leave her for now and come back later._

_\-- Sniper's van --_

"Hootsy? Hootsy I've got some food for ya mate, come here." 

The owl flew to the slim kitchen top and jumped enthusiastically next to the small plate that was now his. 

"There you go. Try this, it's proper cat food. You've grown up now, eh? You aren't a baby anymore and you can fly again. So if you like it, then we'll switch to that."

The bird gulped down most of it quite quickly while Lawrence filled a bowl with water. 

"There. You got enough water there to wash yerself. Now, I need to think of a few things and call back home."

_\-- BLU Base, afternoon --_

The mercenaries had gathered in front of the TV screen. All of them but the spies. 

"Fellas, I received this video tape from the Admin and a note that said that we should all watch it. So here we go." 

Engie put the video tape on and switched on the screen. The face of the Administrator immediately popped on display. 

"Gentlemen, following the recent events. Here is what will happen."

_"Madam, you forgot to thank them first…"_ Miss Pauling's voice could be heard even though she wasn't shown. 

"Yes, yes, you managed to save us and that isn't too bad." The lady in the violet suit answered, a bit irritated. 

"All combat will stop until further notice. Given the health of the RED Spy and the disastrous state of the battlefields, it will take months before things come back to normal. Gray Mann started his mining operations and destroyed some areas of combat. Anyway, what else did I want to say, Pauling?"

_"About the two spies, Madam."_

"Ah, yes. It has come to my attention that the two spies have uh… What's the word again Pauling?" 

_"They've fallen in love."_

"Yes, quite so, and that goes against their contracts. Not to mention that the BLU Spy revealed her identity, failing to abide by yet another point in her contract. They will both be thanked for their service."

Lawrence's eyes snapped wide opened but he soon frowned and clenched his jaw. 

"In fact, the _cooperation_ of both teams on Gray Mann's vessel reveals the creation of… Pauling?"

_"Friendship."_

"Yes, _friendship_ across the teams. This of course violates your contracts and I would ask you all to surrender your Mann Co. equipment before leaving." 

The mercenaries gasped. So that was it? They were all _dishonorably discharged_ …?

"However…" 

The old lady in the violet suit continued. 

"The operation was a failure. Gray Mann is still alive." 

"What?!" Scout asked. 

"His location is still unknown and Mann Co. is still very much in danger. So I am offering you all a new position. Briefly, you will not fight as two teams, but a unique one. We have some intelligence on the robots and how to defeat them, should they re-appear. But what this means is if you accept this job, you will train together and live all together. A new, more spacious base is under construction. More details will follow if you accept your new job. This applies to all of you, spies included."

She raised her index finger. 

"Medic, I want a daily report on the RED Spy's health. And the rest of you, I give you 24 hours to make up your mind on this job offer. Over." 

The screen went black again and the mercenaries felt like they could all breathe now. The Administrator had such an authoritative voice that most of them felt like they were holding their breath for the duration of the speech. 

"Alrighty then, guess it's time for each one of us to give this a bit of thought then…" 

_\-- Lucien's room, Medic bay --_

_Beep… Beep… Beep…_

"Huh?" 

Leila opened her eyes and raised her head. 

_Oh merde… I've fallen asleep there._

"Meow?" 

"Oh, bonjour Perle." 

[Oh, hello Perle.]

Leila leaned back on her seat. 

"Oh my back, my neck… I shouldn't have slept in this position… Ouch…" 

She put a hand on her neck and massaged it slowly. 

"Meow?" 

"What do you have here…? Is that… How did you get my mask? You went back home? But I've left the door shut…"

Leila looked around and found the kittens in front of a couple of bowls, eating food and drinking water. She raised a curious eyebrow. 

"What the…?" 

She looked at her lover. He was sleeping deeply and peacefully. Before she could think further, a knock on the door startled her. She slipped her mask on quickly. 

"Oui? Come in." 

She saw Lawrence's head peek in. 

"Hey, Princess, can I uh…?" 

"Of course, come in." 

"Ah, thanks." 

The Australian entered and closed the door after him with his foot. He turned to her and she realised he was holding two mugs.

"I'm sorry I came in earlier. I just saw you and the cats alone and-and you didn't have yer mask so I popped in real quick to give them some food and I left yer mask next to you."

"Oh, so you're the one who did all that?" She asked.

Lawrence nodded.

"Yeah. And I brought you this."

He handed her a mug. 

"Merci." 

"You're wearing his gown?" He asked while she sipped on the coffee.

She turned her head to look up at him.

"Ouch, my neck.."

"Slept in a weird position?" 

"Oui… But to come back to what you said. His gown, it… It smells of him." 

"I get it." He put a hand on her shoulder and put the mug on his lips. 

"How is the rest of the team?" Leila asked. 

"They're alroight. Although, well, we all got fired but that's ok."

"What?! We save the Admin and that's how she thanks us?!"

"Don't get angry too fast. Let me explain… Wait a minute, I'll grab a chair." 

The Australian disappeared briefly and knocked on the door again. 

"Come in, Lawrence." 

"Yeah, it'll be more comfy like that." 

He put the chair next to her and sat down. 

"So basically, she called us and fired us all. But!" He raised his index finger. "She offered us all a new job." 

"What's the point?" 

"Well the problem was mainly you and'im. If you're together, you can't fight against each other."

"She is stupid. Of course we can." 

"What?" He asked. 

"Lawrence, we're both top spies. Work is one thing, what we have in our hearts is another. Of course we can kill each other, I would say that because of respawn, there would be absolutely no problem with that!" 

"Wow…" Lawrence was impressed. 

"Don't get me wrong, the existence of respawn makes it possible. Had it not been for it, the Admin could pay me all the money in the world and I would not lay a finger on his head." 

She turned to look at him. 

"But what's this new job?" She asked. 

"Gray Mann's not dead so BLU and RED can team up to find him and fight him again." 

"Are Lucien and I on the job offer too?" 

"Wait, you're not surprised that he's alive?" 

"Non. A man with such ambitions surely had a plan B at least. But you didn't answer me." 

Lawrence nodded, although he didn't hide his surprise. He drank more of his coffee.

"Y-yeah. You both can accept the job. I mean… You can. She said that we'll stop fighting at least for a month. Turns out Gray Mann had started digging in the different battlefields so the terrains are ruined. It'll take time to fix them. Also, she asked Medic to report on Lucien's health everyday." 

"I see." 

Leila finished her coffee. 

"We have one day to decide."

"What do you think?" She asked.

"I don't know… I kind of miss my parents but…"

"But?" She insisted. 

"I can't leave you alone with him like that."

Leila softened. 

"I will be fine. If you want to go back home, please do. I will remember you, Lawrence. You're a very dear friend." 

She leaned her head on his shoulder. 

"You're forgettin' something." He started. "I was the one to save you." 

"Actually yes. How did you escape the robots and come to us undetected?"

"Ready for a story?"

"I have time, go ahead." 

He wrapped an arm around her and adjusted himself on the chair. 

"Tell you what. I'll bring us some dinner. I'll tell you how I did it, but you'll have to eat with me, alroight?" 

She looked up at him. 

"You are a terrible friend." 

He smiled. 

"Yeah, and your best one at that. Give me a few minutes, I'll be back." 

Lawrence stood up and patted her shoulder before leaving. He took the two empty mugs with him and left Leila and the beeps alone. 

_\-- Kitchen --_

"Oh, hey Sniper. Come join us for dinner." 

Engineer said as soon as he saw Lawrence enter. 

"Yeah nah, I'll just grab some'in' for me and Spy." 

"Where's she?" Scout asked. 

"She hasn't left the RED Spy's side since he came back I think." Demo answered. 

"Nein, indeed. She broke in during the night and slept next to him on a chair. Hm." 

The sound of the cutlery on the plates continued while Lawrence filled a plastic box with the pasta that Pyro had prepared.

"She should've come to me." Lawrence said. 

"You were surely asleep and she didn't want to bother you." Engie answered. 

"Guess so." 

The Australian took two forks.

"I'll stay with her."

He left the kitchen.

_\-- Lucien's room --_

"You don't need to knock, Snoop." 

"Well, I'm just bein' polite, is all." 

He sat next to her and opened the box. 

"Pasta?" She asked. 

"Yeah, Pyro made it. Pasta with some tomato sauce. There, a fork."

"Merci." 

They started digging in the box together.

"Mmh, that's quite good!" She said. But immediately, her eyes went to her lover. She could hear him say in her head:

_Better than my cooking?_

And in her heart she answered. 

_Of course not._

"So, wanna hear how I saved the day and the Princess from her castle?" 

Leila looked at Lawrence. He was smiling confidently, wiggling his eyebrows. 

"Alright, Snoop… Such humility…"

"Oi, careful, you sound like him now." Lawrence pointed at Lucien with his fork and saw Leila's smile. "But yeah, you can thank him for all that." 

"What do you mean?"

"Remember when he shook my hand before going?"

"Yes, I actually found it a bit cold from him. I thought he would hug you." 

"No, no, no. He did it on purpose. He shook my hand and left his Cloak and Dagger in it."

"He did what?!" 

"Yeah! How the hell did you think I managed to sneak around everywhere? It's thanks to the bloody watch! When we all entered in the building, you were all too busy with the robots to notice but he pulled me back and asked me to stay hidden, just in case. I refused at first but…"

"But what?" 

"But he asked me to do it for you if I didn't do it for him…"

Leila's eyes snapped wide open. She looked at her unconscious lover and put a hand on her mouth. 

"You went away and the rest of the team too. When I understood that things went pear-shaped through the earpiece, I took a deep breath, switched the watch on and started my own little rescue mission. I wanted to find you or him first cause you'd know what to do."

"What happened?" 

"Well, mission accomplished cause I found him first. But he was in this state when I found'im. So I thought I needed to find Medic and after finding weapons, I found you all…!"

"Mon Dieu… So he saw it coming?" She asked. 

"Nah, don't think so. I just think he… Uh…" 

"He what?" 

"He _really_ wanted you safe. When he pulled me back, he said _'Lawrence, stay back.'_ I refused and he answered _'For Leila.'_..." 

Leila dropped the fork in the box and hid her face in her hands.

"Hey…? You alroight?" 

"Non, Lawrence, non I'm not. I said I wouldn't let anything happen to him and he's on a hospital bed unconscious now…" 

Lawrence put the pasta box away and hugged her dearly. 

"Leila, stop feelin' guilty. It's not your fault. Nobody could have saved him from whatever they did. D'you know how I know?" 

She raised her eyes to him. 

"Because if he or _you_ didn't save him, then no one could. You love him that much, it's obvious. It's not because he got caught that you're a worse woman, or a worse lover fer him. I know and _he knows_ that you would have bled yerself dry for him, if it ever came to that." 

She leaned on him. 

"I hope he does."

"Don't talk rubbish, o'course he knows!"

Lawrence kept her in his arms.

"I'll stay with you." He said. 

"Non, I don't want to bother you."

"You're not, I have nothing else to do. And I can't leave you like that. I'll stay with both of you. I promised him I'd look after you." 

Her eyes were stuck on him. 

"Are you sure?" She asked. 

"Yeah. Nothing you'll do will make me go away, Princess." 

Leila's eyes went from her lover to her friend. 

"Thank you Lawrence, really."

"No worries."

"Do you mind staying with him? I'll go take a shower and grab a few things from our room."

"Sure." 

Leila stood up and as she passed Lawrence, her hand brushed his shoulders. He smiled and blushed. The French lady left the room and shut the door, leaving her lover in good hands. 

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading! 

I'd gladly read your impressions on this one :D

See you for 55!


	55. Chapter 55

"So here we are eh?" 

_Beep… Beep… Beep…_

"I-I feel like telling you things but I don't really know what to say."

_Beep… Beep… Beep…_

Lawrence stood up and went to the window. He looked at the empty desert. The orange had faded into deep violet as the sun had gone and left its place to the moon. 

"I don't know what happened to you. No one does."

_Beep…_

"Leila thinks that you got caught and tortured. Maybe… Although, wait…" 

Lawrence turned to face his unconscious friend. 

"What would they torture you for? I mean, if Gray Mann's plan is to invade Australia, what the hell does it have to do with you?"

_Beep…_

"Do you know anything crucial about Australium mines?"

_Beep…_

"Nah, c'mon. You're a bloody good Spook but surely you can't know things about _that,_ can you?"

_Beep…_

Lawrence sighed and faced the window again. 

"Well then… If you know nothing about those things then they didn't torture you. The REDs didn't look like they had been badly treated either. So no, they didn't electrocute you to make you speak." 

He paused. 

"Unless Leila knows something and you didn't want to sell her out!"

He frowned. 

"Nah, cause if it was the case, then they would have tortured her and nothing like that happened. So no, definitely, we can rule that out." 

Lawrence crossed his arms on his chest. 

"Then what? How did you get yerself fried like that…?" 

The Australian's mind rolled back to what he knew had happened for sure. He saw himself going through the corridors of that cold place again, he saw the Robot Medic, he remembered how he wished it was an animal, because they are much easier to distract or bait… Ha, animals. How far had Lawrence got from his original lifestyle. He used to be solitary, now he had friends. He used to talk to animals more than people, now a day without talking to Leila and he wondered how she was. And what about animals? Well, the cats here and Hootsy in his van. Fine. 

Did he miss hunting? A bit, maybe, but he didn't have the itch to jump in his van and drive far away to peace. No, he wanted to stay here, his new _sedentarity_ surprised him. Ah, hunting. He dreamt of a world where he was useless and people could stop relying on animals so much. But he needed to live too. At least, he took only what he needed, not more, and with respect. He remembered seeing other hunters and their techniques. Those were the animals! Cruelty, torture, poaching… And with what means?! 

They said it was the _latest_ _to kill quickly and efficiently._ Well, a bullet well placed does the job too and much faster still! 

_Oh…_

A thought crossed his mind and his jaw dropped. 

_Need to check…_

Lawrence went to his friend on the bed and carefully looked at his face. He followed the scars with his finger, not even daring to touch the skin. His index traced its way down to the poor man's shoulder, his arm -

"Thank you for staying with him."

He heard Leila's voice as she came back in the room but was too deeply absorbed in what he was doing. She came close to him and followed his hovering index with her eyes. 

… Lucien's arm, his forearm and his hand; finally, his fingers all the way to the tip.

"He touched it… but not with the tip of his fingers…" Lawrence mumbled to himself. 

"What are you talking about?" Leila asked. 

"Look at the scars. They all point down to his hands but not the tip of his fingers. If you touch somethin' then surely you approach it with the tip of your fingers, don't you?" 

Leila took a closer look.

"Oui… You're right actually. I hadn't noticed. They must have connected electrodes to his hands and-"

"Nah, Leila, it doesn't make sense. Gray Mann knew what he was doin', he had nothing to torture Lucien for, unless he knew something about Australium…?"

"I don't think he did. If anything the discovery and exploitation of Australium started _after_ his time as a spy, more during mine. So if someone was worth getting information from, it would be you because you're Australian, or me… Maybe the enemy Sniper, he's Australian as well." 

"Then he definitely didn't get tortured." Lawrence concluded. 

Both sat next to the bed and the cats jumped on their laps.

"But I heard him scream out of pain, just on the other side of that door… It was unbearable. I-I think he screamed my name…" Leila said.

Lawrence hugged his friend. 

"It's ok… I'm here and I.. I think I made up my mind about the Mann Co. thing." He answered. 

Leila looked up at her friend. 

"If you stay, I stay." 

"Lawrence, you know I will stay here with him for as long as it takes?"

"Yeah, I do."

"But you have your family." 

"I called them. And I told them that now I had a best friend like a little sister. I can't leave you, especially when that spooky bastard isn't there to take care of ya."

Leila gave him a sweet and earnest smile.

"I am way too lucky to have you and Lucien." She said. 

"Don't know about him, but yeah, you're lucky to have me!" He winked at her and she smiled. 

"Thank you, Snoop, really." 

"Bah, it's nothing."

"Also, thank you for staying with him while I took a quick shower. I also brought a few things." She pointed at a basin full of stuff. 

"You can go to sleep if you want. It's late enough and -" She yawned. "I'm gonna fall asleep soon." 

"Alroight." Lawrence stood up and went to the window to draw the curtains shut. "I'll bring you some breakfast tomorrow, ok?" 

"You don't have to." Leila said as he came back to her opening his arms. She stood up and hugged him. 

"Nah, I don't but as long as he's asleep, I might as well catch up on all those breakfasts we haven't had eh?" He winked and she smiled. 

"Fair enough, thank you Lawrence." 

He took the empty pasta box back and went to the door. 

"Hey?" 

She looked at him. 

"Good night, Princess." 

"Good night, Snoop." 

_\-- Next morning --_

"Anythin' new Doc?" Lawrence was sitting on the other side of Medic's desk.

"Nein, I'm afraid not. His constants are indeed very constant. There isn't the faintest sign of change." 

"Is it good or bad?" 

The German doctor stood up and paced the room. 

"The correct answer to that is _yes."_

"What?" Lawrence asked, confused. 

"Well it's both good and bad. It's good because at least nothing is failing but it's not extremely encouraging because it is as I said, extremely constant."

"Ah…" 

"But he is taken care of in the best way. It is good that Spy is next to him. Hearing her voice might help."

"Wait, I thought he was unconscious?"

"Oh he very much is. It is quite unclear what people in a coma can hear or not. Sometimes they do catch a few things and when they wake up, they talk about it as if it was a dream. But I don't want to bother you, Sniper, although there is something I ought to show you, follow me." 

Both men went to Lucien's door. 

"Have a look." Medic said. 

Lawrence took a step forward and looked through the window. 

"Oh…"

"I found her asleep in a terrible position yesterday so I brought another bed and, well, I had to wake her up for her to climb on it. I don't know if she was fully awake or not when I did but I think this will hurt her neck and back much less."

Lawrence smiled sweetly. The two bed pushed next to each other made one double bed for both to sleep next to each other. Leila was holding on to Lucien's hand and cuddling it like a teddy bear. 

"Thanks mate, she did complain yesterday about her back." 

"I guessed as much. Alright, I'll leave you to it, I have some paperwork to attend to. Oh and do remember to take your decision about the Mann Co. offer. Did you tell Spy about it?" 

"Yeah, I did."

"What did she decide?" Medic asked. 

"She'll stay, for him." 

"Ah, I thought so…" Medic raised his eyes to his taller colleague. "And you?" 

"I'll stay too, but for her. What about you?" 

The German doctor smiled.

"I will stay. For the RED Spy's health and other reasons." 

"Ah, roight." 

Medic nodded as thanks and spun on his heels before walking away leaving Lawrence alone in front of the door. His eyes went to Leila again. 

_She's still asleep. I'll come back later._

_\-- Later in the morning --_

Leila opened her eyes. 

_What the…?_

She sat up in a flash looking around her, worried. How did she end up on a hospital bed next to Lucien? 

_Oh…_

So Medic bringing a bed for her wasn't a dream…

Leila blinked repeatedly and looked around her more calmly now. Perle woke up and yawned. The kittens slowly woke up too. They were spread across both beds and were now stretching and shaking their fluffy furs. 

Leila smiled. Lucien used to be strict with the cats and not let them sleep with them at night. They must feel like it's a holiday now! 

"Meow…"

The concerto of meows slowly woke up too. 

"Bonjour mes bébés…"

[Good morning my babies…]

They brushed themselves against her and jumped playfully on her, pushing her to lie down again. Leila chuckled, trying to not drown in the black and white sea of cat fur.

"Let me get up, guys, there are things to do…!" 

"Meow! Meow!"

They seemed to refuse and negociate _'5 more minutes'._

"D'accord, mais just cinq minutes alors, d'accord?" 

[Fine, but just five minutes more then, alright?]

They brushed their heads on hers and Leila kissed them left and right. Perle soon withdrew and Leila watched as she sat down next to her master's side. She put a paw on his chest. 

"Perle?" 

The cat's ear twitched. She had heard Leila but her eyes didn't leave Lucien. 

"Meow…?" 

Leila sat up, gently pushing the kittens away. Perle sniffed her master's chest and went higher up to his neck and on his face. 

"I know. It's hard to recognise him like this. He looks…" Leila couldn't finish her sentence.

Perle licked her master's hair as if to clean him. 

"Meow! Meow!"

Her children followed and smelled Lucien everywhere. Some laid on his legs, next to his waist, their heads on his stomach… They seemed to hug him and almost protect his entire body. Leila smiled. 

He who thought he didn't have a family and was very lonely. It turned out that those felines cared for him more than most people that he had met in his life. 

Perle laid above his head on the pillow and left a paw in his hair.

"Alright, you stay with him for a minute, I will be right back with you?"

"Meow." 

Perle blinked with both eyes and Leila quickly slipped in the bathroom next door. 

_\-- Sniper's van --_

"Hootsy? Shoulder, here." 

The bird flew to his master's shoulder.

"Good boy…!" Lawrence gave him a treat. 

"Now, we should go get some coffee and go see Leila, I'm sure she's up now." 

The Australian put his hat on his head and exited his van. He went to the kitchen in the base. 

"Oh hey Snipes - man, you've got an owl on ya!" Scout shouted. 

"Yeah I do. His name's Hootsy."

"Hoo-hooo!" 

"Shush Hootsy! Bloody hell, you don't have to try and be louder than Scout, you're roight next to my ear!" 

The owl calmed down.

"Rescued him and he doesn't wanna leave." Lawrence added.

"Cool! But hold on, you're up late today?" Scout asked. 

"Nah mate, been up for hours. Just didn't fancy coffee until now." 

The Australian prepared the two mugs. One coffee, black, no sugar, and the other with milk and - had it been for him - an _ungodly_ amount of sugar. He dropped a spoon in and mixed it all together.

"Roight, I'll see ya later." 

Lawrence took the two mugs and left the kitchen. He headed straight to Medic's quarters. When he arrived at Lucien's door, he peeked in to make sure Leila was up. Indeed she was, she was bent over her lover's bed. The Australian put a mug on the nearby chair to free a hand and knocked on the door. 

"Come in!" 

Lawrence opened the door and took the second mug before entering. 

"Mornin', Princess."

"Bonjour, Snoop." 

Lawrence realised that she had pushed the second bed away and as he came closer to her, he opened wide eyes. 

"What are you doing?" 

"I'm shaving him." 

The Australian put the mugs on the night table and took a closer look. Leila had spread a towel under the Frenchman's chin. A bottle of shaving foam was at Lucien's side and she was holding her blade in her hand. 

"You're shavin' him with yer blade?!"

"Oui, it's cleaner." 

"You're not scared of cutting him?"

"Non. I know what I'm doing. Give me a moment, I'm nearly done." She said. 

"Sure." 

"Hoo!" 

Leila raised her head. 

"Oh, you brought Hoots-a-lot with you? Hello, Mister!" 

"Hoo-hoo." 

The bird flapped his wings happily. 

"Yeah, he'd been stayin' alone in the tiny van so I thought I take him with me." Lawrence took a chair and sat on the other side of the bed. He watched Leila as she resumed the shaving. 

"Fair enough, the poor bird must be very bored." She answered as the blade slid on her lover's cheek. 

"Yeah. And he's a big boy now. He can fly and he eats grown cat's food eh!"

"Ooh, look at this grown up owl. I'm glad to hear that he can fly now. His wing is fully healed up?" 

"Yeah, think so. Actually I'd like the Doc' to take a look, just to be sure." 

"I'm sure he will oblige. He might be a bit of a crazy man sometimes but he is kind at heart. See that bed behind me? He brought it to me in the middle of the night. Now I can sleep comfortably next to Lu'." 

Leila looked left and right to see if she had missed any spots on her lover's cheeks and neck. She gave a satisfied nod and wiped his face gently. 

"Now you look almost too young for me…" She said with a smile. 

Lawrence was moved by the whole thing. He watched as Leila opened a small bottle of cream and put it on Lucien's cheeks and neck. 

"What's that?" 

"The cream he used to use when he shaved himself completely. I think he has quite the sensitive skin, after shaving in particular." 

The Australian watched as Hootsy jumped to his lap and he petted him. Leila spread the cream gently as a soft smell started floating in the air.

"You make me think of my parents." 

"What?!" She exclaimed. "If he was conscious, he would have said _'May God preserve me from ever creating a child like you, Bushman!'"_

Lawrence burst out laughing. 

"I didn't mean it in a weird way, ya bloody Spooks! I meant you too seem so peaceful, it's like you've been together forever." 

Leila smiled as she finished applying the cream on her lover's chin and around his mouth. She bent down and closing her eyes, she dropped her lips on his cheek, at the corner of his lips. 

" _Je t'aime."_ She whispered and Lawrence lowered his head to hide his blush, as if he could credibly fool Leila and make her believe he hadn't heard her say 'I love you' to her lover.

"Alright, I see you've brought some coffee?" 

"Huh? Uh, y-yeah, want to have some?" 

"Gladly. I have your _bikkies_. But let me just deal with this shaving stuff. I'll be a minute."

"Sure, take your time, I'll draw the curtains and open the windows, get some fresh air in." 

  
__**\-- Author's notes --  
  
** Thanks for reading!

Stay tuned for 56!


	56. Chapter 56

The days had been rolling, the ones after the other. Leila felt like time was passing as fast as the landscapes seen from a train. Green hills waving up and down, the occasional yellow ones for the sunflower or wheat, maybe violet for the lavender. 

The cats and the owl got along nicely. Each time Lawrence visited Leila and Lucien, he would bring Hootsy and they'd watch them play together. 

But it had been weeks now. Weeks of her shaving him, cleaning him. Medic had also taught her how to tend to his scars and every morning and evening, she would spend a long time carefully hydrating his skin and trying to ease the pain that he certainly didn't feel. 

That day, Lawrence had got to town and as he parked in the base again, the night had fallen. He took a few things and headed to Lucien's room. 

"Come in."

The Australian pushed the door but when his eyes met hers, he gasped and spun on his heels to give her his back. 

"You're not wearing yer mask?!"*

"Non, there's no point. Everyone has seen his face. I don't know why I should keep mine a secret. Besides, everyone knows that I'm a woman. I have nothing left to hide, or so little." 

"You sure?" Lawrence asked, still refusing to face her.

"Oui, you may turn Lawrence. If there's one person beside Lucien who I feel comfortable enough to show my face to, it's you."

"Roight…"

The Australian slowly pivoted and opened wide eyes as he looked at her naked face. 

"Crickey… You're beautiful!"

She smiled. 

"Did you have any doubts about it?"

"N-nah, no, that's not what I meant…" He came closer to her. "But still, I can see how you managed to get him…!" He looked at Lucien.

"Also, how did you tell me to come in, I didn't even knock?!" 

"I heard you coming, Snoop. Your boots make a bit of noise when you walk." 

Sniper looked at his feet and back up again. 

"Well, sorry about that, Princess…!"

"It's fine, I shall tolerate it." She winked at him. "What do you have there? It smells like -"

"Pizza!"

"Oooh!" Leila was overjoyed.

The Australian sat down and handed Leila one of the pizza boxes. 

"What did you get us?" 

"I got a 4-season and one with salmon, cause you're a fancy princess…"

"Indeed I am." 

They both took a slice.

"Bon appétit!"

"To you too!" 

"Such a long time I haven't had pizza…!" Leila said between two bites.

"I bet! Not that fancy Frenchie who would treat you like that, eh? He’s all about restaurants and whatnot, but sometimes, the lady needs her good old pizza!”

“I didn’t know you were an expert in what _the lady_ likes?”

Lawrence proudly smirked.

“Well I bloody am, see?”

“I thought you were better with men?”

“Oh, uh, well, uh nah, not exactly… I mean, I just know you a bit, eh.”

They exchanged a smile. 

"Any change today?" Lawrence asked, his eyes going to Lucien. 

"Non, nothing."

"It's been what… weeks now?" 

Leila sighed. 

"Oui, I know. Maybe I'm being ridiculous."

"What d'you mean?" 

"Staying with him day and night. Maybe it's too much. Maybe I'm giving myself hope for nothing." She said sadly. 

"No, it just shows how much you love'im." 

"You're right. I want to be there when he wakes up. I… I want to see his gorgeous eyes open again, I want to see his irresistible smile." 

Leila closed the pizza box.

"Lawrence, can I tell you something?" 

"Yeah." 

"If the worst ever came to happen, don't look for me." 

Lawrence opened wide eyes. 

"What's that s'pposed to mean?!"

Leila raised her dark eyes to him but didn't add a word. The Australian put both their pizza boxes away and wiped his hands before putting them on her shoulders. 

"No, no, no. You listen to me now. If the worst was to happen to him, I won't leave you, alroight? I'll bloody bring you to Australia with me if I have to. You're stayin' safe and I'll watch over you."

"Lawrence,-"

"No, there's no _Lawrence_. I know it's hard, I know you miss him. Even I miss him. But don't think about that and don't ever say nonsense like that ever again, d'you hear me?" 

He saw her eyes glisten and pulled her to his chest.

"I just want him to wake up. Every night I dream of him waking up. Every bloody night. I dream that we're back in our room, in bed, and that he's holding me dearly in his arms. And you know what? I wake up and my cheeks are wet with the tears that I cry through my sleep. Some mornings, I wake up because of my sobs. I cry without knowing it, in my sleep. I want him to… _be alive again."_

"He's not dead." Lawrence answered. "And he's got stuff to live still. He's got you and he's got the RED Scout and-"

Leila raised her head in a flash. 

"You know about Jérémy?" She asked. 

"Y-yeah. He told me about it a few days before we went to Gray Mann."

Leila put her head against his chest again. 

"He liked you so much." 

"Nah, he _likes_ me so much. And I, him. He's very arrogant and sophisticated but at the end of the day, he's very simple."

"Oui. And he doesn't show that to just anyone." 

"Yeah, I know. He said that if Engie knew for his son, I should too."

Leila smiled, albeit sadly. 

"Lawrence?" 

"Yeah?" 

"I think I want to sleep. But I don't want to cry again." 

"Do you want me to stay with you?" He asked. 

"Non, you can't stay up every night for me. You did it a couple of times already and that's more than enough."

"Look, if you need it, I'm here ok? You're not alone in this."

She managed to gather enough strength to smile at him.

"Tell you what, go get a change and I'll push your bed next to him meanwhile, ok?" He suggested.

"Thank you so much." 

"It's nothing." 

They exchanged a friendly smile before their ways parted. 

_\-- Next morning --_

Lawrence wanted to make sure Leila had woken up before bringing coffee there. He put his hat on and exited his van. The Australian was used to seeing Medic right before going in, to ask for the news so he went to his office straight. 

He gave a short knock but no answers. 

_Alroight._

Lawrence turned on his heels and went to Lucien's door. He looked through the small round window on it. 

Leila was still asleep. As usual, she was hugging Lucien's hand dearly. But that morning, Lawrence noticed something significantly different. His jaw dropped.

_What the bloody hell's happenin'...?_

He removed his hat from his head and ran back to his van. 

_\-- Lucien's room --_

Leila was asleep and dreaming. 

Lucien was holding her. She could feel the warmth of his arms wrapping her to safety. She nuzzled in the hollow of his neck and hummed. She was delighted. 

Lucien was stroking her hair, losing his fingers in her curls while his other hand was brushing her back. 

"Je t'aime." He said.

[I love you.]

"Je t'aime aussi."

[I love you too.]

She heard his voice in her head and the million butterflies in her stomach took flight in unison. She closed her eyes and put a hand on his chest. 

"Merci." He said.

[Thank you.]

"What for?"

"For staying with me..." 

_Oh his voice!_ The French accent, the low whispers that made her whole body flutter…!

"It's nothing."

"Non, it's a lot. God knows how long I've been here. But you stayed by my side."

"Oui." 

"You even brought Perle and the kittens. Well, I still say kittens but they are fully grown now or almost so! I've found them sleeping with us, did you let them do that?"

"Oui…"

"Don't give me that adorable guilty look. I understand. And look at the room. You've turned what was supposed to be a hospital room into a second room for you and me."

"Oui."

She saw his stare, his electric eyes looking through hers and reading her mind directly. Oh how she had missed it…! 

"Did we manage to get Jérémy back?"

"Oui, and his whole team along with Miss Pauling and the Administrator."

" _Parfait. Mission accomplie."_

_[Perfect. Mission accomplished.]_

He smiled and that simple grin made her heart burst in her chest, pounding hard and fast. 

Leila felt his hands on her cheeks, his fingers brushing her skin. She closed her eyes and felt her eyelids burning. She knew it was but a dream now as her mind slowly swam up to the surface of reality. She knew that when she'd open her eyes, her dream would remain carved in her memory and it would hurt. She knew that when she'd emerge from the dream world, her tears would flow for long minutes, sinking down her face, burning her eyes as much as she wanted him to wake up. 

Her first sob woke her up but she couldn't open her eyes. She had to let it out, and so she did. She cried long and hot tears, trying to smother herself, not to make any noise that Medic could hear from his office next door. 

Leila emptied her soul yet again. It had almost become part of her morning routine. Wake up, _cry_ , have breakfast with Lawrence… 

She had tried to hold her tears back, countless times, but it just ended in her locking herself up in the bathroom and melting into tears. Sometimes, when she knew Medic was out, she would not hold her voice back and she would blabber endlessly through the waters of her pain.

She cried harder and said, between two sobs, as she clenched his hand in hers:

"Lucien, je t'aime tellement… S'il te plaît réveille-toi… S'il te plaît, ne me laisses pas…"

[Lucien, I love you so much… Please wake up… Please don't leave me…]

The thought of him _leaving her_ was too much. Her breath was erratic as her cheeks were drenched. Her pillow had absorbed quite a lot of her tears and she would have to change it. It was the third time that week.

"Je t'aime, Lucien…"

[I love you, Lucien…]

"Je t'aime aussi."

[I love you too.]

Her eyes snapped open. 

_Beep… beep… beep..._

The Frenchman was lying on his side, his eyes were open and he was smiling.

Leila blinked repeatedly, her eyes red, swollen, and her eyelashes soaked. He put his hand on her cheek and stroked it gently. 

"T-tu es réveillé? Je ne rêve pas?" She asked.

[Y-you are awake? I'm not dreaming?]

He smiled at her and cupped her face. He pulled it to himself and put his lips gently on hers. She melted into more tears as she realised that yes, finally! Lucien had woken up! 

He broke the kiss and looked at her. 

"Thank you again, for staying next to me." 

"It's nothing, absolutely nothing!" She said out of excitement. "But wait, you said _again?_ Why would you say _again?"_

"Because I've told you that already. You were asleep."

"What?! So when I dreamt of you saying all those things…?" 

The realisation hit her like a train. 

"You were asleep and I talked to you. You even answered back." He softly chuckled. 

"Did I talk while sleeping?!" 

"Non, but your eyebrows moved enough for me to understand your answers."

"So you really told me-?"

"That I love you? Oui, of course, and _Princesse_ , if not for you I would still be sleeping or even worse..." 

"I would cry happy tears but… I'm all out of water now…" 

"You don't need it to kiss me." He answered and she went for it. Her lips discovering his again, her eyes rolling back and closing. 

The door opened. 

"Oh for Christ's sake! You can't wait after we get some breakfast for that, ya piker?!" 

Lucien and Leila broke the kiss and looked at the Australian standing there with a thermos of coffee, some cups in his hand and Hootsy holding a plastic bag in its beak. 

"I am sorry Bushman. But that's what you get for popping in unannounced." 

Lawrence put the breakfast on the nearby table while Leila sat up and Lucien laid on his back again.

"Give me a minute, I'll be right back." Leila jumped out of the bed and went to the bathroom. 

Meanwhile, Lawrence drew the curtains open and pushed Leila's bed away. He placed two chairs next to Lucien and fed the cats. 

"How long have I been asleep?" 

"Weeks, mate. Bloody weeks!"

"Oh merde… And Leila, she…?"

"Yeah, she stayed next to you day and night. She never left yer side."

He smiled and blushed.

"And you?" 

"I came to help from time to time. Mainly to make sure she was eating and not too sad."

Lucien extended his hand to him, with a smile. Lawrence shook it and his whole arm got pulled towards the Frenchman. They gently crashed in an embrace and Lucien patted his back. 

"Thank you so much, Lawrence, really." 

"Welcome back, ya idiot! And you're welcome. What was I s'pposed to do? Watch her starve and melt in tears? Nah mate, she's my best friend, that sheila. Not gonna let her down." 

They parted from each other. 

"Merci." 

[Thanks]

"It's nothin'. Also, you were useless, some would say _as usual,_ so I had to step in." 

"I was unconscious, Bushman! There is hardly anything one can do in that state!"

"Oh yeah, blame it on the coma now!" 

Leila came back from the bathroom. 

"What are you two arguing about again?" She asked.

"It's Lucien!" The Australian pointed at the man in the bed, who looked offended. 

"Non, it's you, Bushman!" 

Leila smiled and rolled her eyes up. 

"Both of you stop it, and let's have some breakfast! Let me help you sit up, Lucien…"

Shortly after, they were all having a mug of coffee. 

"Can you eat and drink normally?" Lawrence asked.

"I am quite hungry. And I have no idea if I can but let's try." 

"Alroight. Hootsy, where are you? Shoulder!"

The bird flew to his master's shoulder. 

"Give me the bag now, there we go."

"Oh! Those are croissants!" Leila exclaimed.

"Yeah, yesterday I got some from a bakery."

"They're not even fresh?" Lucien asked with disdain. 

"Well, since you've woken up now, why don't _you_ drive to town and get us some, eh?" Lawrence answered.

"Believe me, I would!" 

"Gentlemen…" Leila said with a smile. 

"Come close to me, mon amour." Lucien moved aside such that Leila could sit next to him on the bed. 

"Are you still comfortable? Am I not crushing you?" She asked as she snuggled against him. 

"Non, not at all, on the contrary. Now, open your mouth…" 

Lawrence watched as Lucien fed the croissant to Leila. She chuckled. 

"Merci! But I should be the one helping you eating."

[Thanks!]

"Non, you have done more than anyone I've ever known."

"Yeah, you're welcome!" Lawrence answered, as if Lucien had been talking to him. 

"I was not addressing you, Bushman!" He said, lacing an arm around Leila. 

"Careful, don't get the tube on your hand entangled, let me help you…" She answered. "There you are." 

"Thank you. It is very good to feel you in my arms."

"And you cannot imagine how many times I dreamt of this…" She leaned her head on his shoulder. "Oh, actually let me ask, is anything hurting?" 

"Non, so far I feel more than fine. I woke up with my reason to live in my arms and…" Lucien nonchalantly raised his hand towards Lawrence. "Well I guess you arrived shortly after too…" 

"Oh shut up!" 

The three of them laughed as they continued to enjoy their breakfast. Lucien and Leila fed each other while Lawrence watched them, feigning disgust where in truth, he was more than happy for both of them; maybe even for himself too… 

The door opened and Medic appeared. 

"I see you have woken up, Spy! And _you_ are not wearing your mask…?" His eyes were on Leila who shook her head.

"Indeed I have, _Docteur._ Thank you for taking care of me." 

The man in the labcoat approached his patient and checked his vital signs.

"Well, we couldn't let you go back to your base. Ours was the closest one and I have all the necessary equipment to tend to your injuries. Ah! Speaking of…" 

Leila left to leave more space for Medic. He had a look at the scars on Lucien's arms. 

"Oh, I hadn't noticed those…" The Frenchman said, frowning.

"Anything hurting? Any feeling of nausea or dizziness?" 

"Non, I even managed to eat and drink a bit. I am quite starving." 

"Ah! Very encouraging, very good. But don't eat too much and fast. Let the time for your digestive system to wake up, alright?" 

Lucien nodded. 

"Understood." 

"Good. I will leave you, you seem fine. I will come back later for a blood sample."

Lucien made a disgusted face. 

"It's just to see if you're lacking anything." 

"Fair enough…" The Frenchman failed to hide his _enthusiasm._

Leila took his hand in hers. 

"When do you want to do that?" 

"Say in an hour or so?" Medic answered. 

"Alright, he'll be ready." Leila said, seeing Lucien raise an eyebrow from the corner of her eyes. 

"Roight, I'll go too. I'll come back for lunch, ok?" Lawrence said.

"Alright, thank you dear." 

"Hootsy, come here, we're goin' back home for a while."

The bird flew and the Australian left, leaving the rest of the coffee and pastries to his friends.

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Thanks for reading!  
  
Let me know what you thought about this one!  
  
And see you for 57!

  
  



	57. Chapter 57

"I will need to tend to your scars, mon amour." Leila said as she put her coffee mug away.

"Please do." 

Leila washed her hands and went to get some medicinal cream. Lucien observed her keenly. She put a bit of it in her left palm. 

"Can you give me your hand please?" She asked. 

"Last time I did, you didn't ask." He answered while extending his arm to her.

She smiled and started applying the cream, massaging softly along the scars.

"Does it hurt?" 

"Non, on the contrary, it feels like you are putting ice on a sunburn. Aah…" Lucien sat back and sank deeper in his bed.

"Glad you are appreciating this." 

His eyes went to her face. She didn't look too focused so Lucien understood that she was doing it out of habit. But that implied that she had been tending to his wounds for a long time and repeatedly. 

"You are surprisingly silent." He said to her. 

"I-it's because I don't want to bother you. You've barely woken up."

"Leila?"

She raised her eyes to meet his and she felt the blush again. His light blue, icy eyes were still impressive…

"Oui?"

"Say what you want. If I feel tired, I will let you know." 

"A-are you sure?" 

Leila was now working on his forearm. He hissed in pleasure. And her eyebrows jumped. 

"And is it _that_ nice?" She asked. 

"Oui, it is divine. I think my scars are waking up. I can feel them burning. Not that much though, it's only like a sunburn."

"Oh I see…"

"But please _, ma belle,_ tell me what you want."

[My beauty]

She blushed again under the nickname. 

"I would like to know if you remember what happened to you."

"You don't know?" He asked. 

Leila shook her head. 

"All I know is that Lawrence found you on a hospital bed in the vessel. But I don't know how you got these marks. Medic says that you were exposed to prolonged electric shocks. At first I thought it was torture, but Lawrence convinced me that it was unlikely."

Lucien raised his eyebrows. 

"And I bet he told you so at least a day after the events, non?"

She tried to recall and… 

"Oui, you're right actually. But how did you know?" Leila asked. 

"Because I have always said it. Lawrence is remarkably clever, only a bit slow. But I will tell you what happened."

Leila was now following the scars up his arm. 

"You pulled me out of the room and then we got separated. I guessed that something pulled you out faster than you wanted to."

"Yes, there robots outside that room. They pulled me out very strongly and my grip on your suit slipped."

"Ah, I see. After that, the door slammed shut and whatever I did on the doorknob, I could not possible open it. But there was a lock on that door, and who says lock, says pick. So I took my cigarette case out and used the pins that I always carry there to do it. Unfortunately, the second the pin touched the lock, I got electrocuted."

"Oh, so the lock itself was the problem…" Leila realised. 

"Oui. But you were on the other side of that door in the middle of God knows what. So I remember taking a deep breath, clenching my grip on the pin and coming back to the lock. I remember making the decision in my head to undergo the electrocution and stay there for as long as it took me to pick the lock. So I put the pin against the lock, the shock ran through me in immense pain but I tried to ignore it. The problem was that my whole body was shaking too much for me to be able to pick the lock and that's the last thing I remember."

"So Lawrence was right, you got the electric shock not because of torture and not through something that you touched with your fingertips."

"Indeed." 

Leila looked up at Lucien. 

"I-I seem to remember something but I don't know if it really happened or not." She said, seeming embarrassed.

"What is it?" 

"I think I heard you scream… my name…?" 

Lucien smiled. 

"Oui, I did."

"It broke my heart and made me fall to my knees."

The Frenchman looked up at his lover. She had stopped with the cream and lowered her head.

"I could hear the pain in your scream and I felt so powerless. It felt as if I was hearing you..."

"Dying?" He finished her sentence and she nodded. 

"There are no words to describe it. I could feel my heart inside my chest rip slowly in halves, the tissues tearing apart…"

He put his hand on hers. 

"I am alive and here. Don't think about it again. Although to be totally honest I think I would have gone through the same thing if the roles were reversed."

She half-smiled. 

"I love you so much that I couldn't stand up when I heard you were hurt… Coming from me, it surprises me." Leila said. "I've never felt that way before."

Lucien took her hand and put it to his lips. She raised her eyes to him and put a delicate kiss on her knuckles. 

"But have you ever loved a man before?" He asked. 

"Like I love you? Non, never."

"Then it explains it." He answered and pulled her arm slowly until he could put his hand on her face. She tilted her cheek against his palm. 

"I love you truly." She said. 

"And I, madly." He answered. 

"Thank you so much."

"I should be the one thanking you. You stood by my side for weeks, Lawrence said." 

"Oui…"

"Did you do that since the first day?"

"Oui. I tried to sleep in our bed but I couldn't so I came in the the middle of the night and I slept on that chair."

"And you've been taking care of my scars since?"

"Oui, Medic showed me how to do it and he let me. By the way, I need to remove your robe to do your chest and back."

"Oh, sure…"

"Let me do it, if you try, you might unplug the tube on your hand…" 

After a minute of repeating a set of gestures she had made a thousand times, Lucien was naked. She covered his lower body with the bed cover and Lucien looked down at his chest. 

"Mon Dieu, that is a lot of burn marks…" He realised.

"There used to be many more but the thinner ones have disappeared. Do you mind if I sit on the bed, it's easier for me then."

"But of course."

Leila was sitting next to Lucien and facing him. She took more of the cream in her hands and started again on his shoulder.

"Oooh… Very good…" Lucien purred. "Your hands are working wonders…" 

Leila raised an eyebrow but kept her comment to herself. Lucien saw it. 

"What?" He asked. 

"Nothing."

"Non, I can see it, you wanted to say something but you stopped yourself. Say it, whatever it is."

" _My hands are working wonders, hm?"_ She repeated with a devious smile. 

"Ah, I understand now. Well, they are, even if they're not working _where you think…_ " 

She chuckled. 

"I'm actually surprised you haven't thought about it yourself." She said as her hands moved to his chest. 

"Give me a bit of time, I have barely woken up."

"Fair enough. And I'm glad you finally did."

She raised her eyes and Lucien bent forward, his eyes half-closed. Their lips met briefly and she was about to withdraw but Lucien's hands were on her sides and pulled her in for more. The motion of her hands stopped on his chest.

_Beep!Beep!Beep!_

The door slammed open and Medic burst in the room, prompting the two lovers to break the kiss. 

"Your heart rate-! Oh… Sorry…!"

The German doctor now understood why the Frenchman's heart had woken up fast. Lucien chuckled. 

"It is fine, Docteur. I couldn't feel better."

"Ach, well, as long as I'm here, do you mind if I take a bit of blood now?"

"Go ahead, Medic."

He came to Lucien and in a few minutes, the whole thing was done. 

"Anything hurting? Still no dizziness?" Medic asked. 

"Non. I can just feel some scars burning but Lei- uh, Spy, is doing a marvelous job with it." 

" _Wunderbar._ I will leave you and analyse this sample. I will see you later." 

Medic walked back to the door but stopped before exiting. 

"Uh… About your heart rate…" He looked at Leila. "Spy, use that button on his right if it's… uh… if it requires my attention… Alright?"

"Will do, thanks Medic and sorry to bother you for nothing."

"It's fine, see you." 

Medic left the room, leaving the two spies alone.

Lucien grinned proudly.

"I'm glad I can still make you make this face." He said.

Leila felt self-conscious all of a sudden and she shook her head. 

"Non… What face? I don't know what you're talking about…?"

" _This_ face…" He cupped her face and went for it again. 

Lucien felt her shoulders sink and her entire body melt as he told her lips how much he had missed them, even though for him, the past weeks were but a short nap. He broke the kiss and looked her in the eye. 

_"This_ exact face." He said and she smiled as she struggled to make it back to reality. 

"Thank you." 

"You're very welcome."

"Can I admit something?" She asked. 

"Of course." 

"First please bend forward, I need to get to your back now."

"Ah, oui."

Lucien bent forward and felt Leila's hands cool the burning sensations tickling his back. 

"I wanted you to kiss me a second time." She said.

"You just had to ask."

"It's not fun that way. I prefer when I make you come and get it. Or even better, when you do yourself."

"I can but understand…" He answered. "There is something in your face after I kiss you that I am addicted to. This gaze that says that I took you to the Moon and back, and you're struggling to land back on Earth."

"Oui, I do feel this way. But not only." She started. "It's the feeling of belonging to someone, the stability that we both fight to build. And to know that _that someone_ is you…! I just… It's everything I could possibly hope for."

She finished with his back. 

"I'm afraid you'll have to stay in this position a few minutes for your skin to take in the cream. If you're tired, let me know, I will help you. I usually do it."

"Usually?"

"I tend to your burns twice a day. It used to be much more frequent than that but now it's getting better. Can you look up at me, I need to deal with your face now."

"My face has scars too?" 

"Uh, oui, I'm afraid you do. Let me get a mirror and you'll see."

Leila went to the bathroom next door and came back with a small mirror. Lucien held it in front of his face. 

"Oh… I see… Has it always been like that?"

"Like for the rest of your body, it used to be much worse but now everything has practically disappeared."

Lucien stared at his reflection. He looked like someone had taken a red-ish pen and drawn lines all over his face. 

"I look terrible…" He said, not in a sad voice. 

"Terribly good." She corrected him and he looked at her. Leila was looking at him exactly the same way as before, it's as if she didn't see the scars even though she was precisely taking care of them as they spoke. He felt the cooling sensation diffuse from below her fingers to under his skin. 

He closed his eyes. 

"I look terrible and yet you still look at me as if all these red lines didn't exist on my face."

"I couldn't care less about them and now that I know the story behind them, it's even flattering. Those lines tell me how much and how long you took it on yourself to be… to be hurt just for a chance to see me."

He opened his eyes and her face was a few inches away from his. 

"Those scars, they spell _I love you_ everywhere on your skin." 

Her eyes went to his and he smiled. If she saw the scars _that way_ , she must be out of her mind and heart in love with him, he thought. If she had spent her days and her nights with him, covering him with cream in the _solitude_ of his hospital room, then no doubt she would stay with him no matter how hard life could get. 

"You are remarkable." He said to her.

"Merci. That brings me months back."

"What do you mean?"

"It was the first compliment you ever made me." She answered and his eyes snapped wide open. 

"Really?"

"Oui." She nodded. "And at the time I didn't say it but you are quite the extraordinary man yourself."

"Stay with me." He burst out, without any sort of context, his eyes pleading her.

"I have been and I am." She calmly answered. 

"Non, you don't understand. I am not asking for now, I am asking for…" 

How should he phrase it without it sounding ridiculous or fake? What words sounded right to tell her that he couldn't think about spending a day without her at his side?

"I mean… For…" He struggled and she stared at him with eyes that were waiting, expectant! She felt in his eyes and voice that it was something _different._

"For the rest of my life."

There he said it, and that way too, because he couldn't think of any other way he could ask. Maybe he sounded ridiculous? Surely he did. Can anyone take that sentence seriously? Argh! There is a thing with serious matters, they also sound incredibly _un-_ serious too somehow. 

"On one condition." She answered. 

"Anything you want."

"Stay as you are."

"Mon Dieu…" 

[My God…]

His face was covered in cream but he didn't think about it when he cupped her face and pressed his forehead against hers. 

"Do you promise?" He asked. 

"Je te l'ai promis et je te le promets encore."

[I promised it and I will promise it again.]

"I don't know what I did to deserve you." 

"If that's any comfort, I don't know how you could ever want to stay with me." She answered. 

"Pff… You're better than the best woman I could dream of."

"And you blew up my expectations with men. None of them can compare."

He smiled and left a kiss on her forehead. 

"I am proud I do."

She put a hand on his back.

"You can lean on your back now, the cream has gone."

"Ah, thank you."

"Meow?"

Perle jumped on the nearby chair and then on the bed. She stared at Lucien. 

"Bonjour, Perle."

She was on his legs but when she heard his voice she got closer to him and brushed her face on his as she purred. 

"Ah! Perle you are removing the cream! Non! Don't try to lick it away!"

Leila chuckled and said:

"Perle, viens ici ma belle."

[Perle, come here, beautiful.]

Perle obeyed and trotted to her female master who wiped her face with a towel. The kittens had joined Lucien. 

"Mon Dieu! They have grown up so much! They look like their mother so much…! Do they obey you like Perle does?" 

"They might." Leila winked. 

"Come on, show me! Ask them something." 

"Alright, alright." Leila stood up. " _Les enfants, donnez la patte."_

_[Kids, give me your paw.]_

The kittens turned and meowed repeatedly. Leila extended her hand in front of one then the next and all of them put their paws, one by one.

"Oh…" Lucien watched with a smile.

"Good babies…" She patted their heads and they purred and meowed. "Now, _chut! Pas un bruit!"_

_[Shush! Silence!]_

They all stopped meowing and sat on Lucien's legs and next to him on the bed.

"Très bien!" She stroked their fur and they purred.

"Now, and I hope this will work. I never tried it this way: _les enfants, donnez un bisou à Papa."_

_[Kids, go give a kiss to your Dad.]_

Lucien's eyes snapped opened wide. He watched as the kittens all turned to him and went to his face. 

_"Meow… Meow-Meow…!"_

He wrapped his arms around them. 

"I'm sorry Leila, but you will have to wipe them all clean…!"

He hugged them and laughed in a way that was new to Leila. She observed him keenly. He looked carefree and _blissful._

"Et viens ici toi aussi…" 

[And come here you too…]

He pulled Leila in and hugged her before kissing her temple. She hugged him back. 

"You know what I'm thinking?" He asked.

"Not a clue, Mister Spy." She jokingly answered. 

"That I have a family now." 

"Meow!" Perle exclaimed. 

"You always have had one but you never saw it." Leila translated Perle's meows to him. 

"Of course, but now I feel different about it all. I have a marvelous woman by my side, and we have cats that we see as our children." 

"Sorry again that I can't… Have proper ones…" Leila shyly said.

"You are all forgiven, I wouldn't want a different you." He snuggled against her and they savoured the moment. 

For a moment, silence had fallen. The cats were lying on him everywhere, lazily purring, their fluffy tails waving gently.

"Although you are forgetting something, mon amour." She said. 

"What is it?" He asked. 

"Jérémy." Leila answered. "Do you… I mean, this is none of my business but-"

"Nonsense!" He cut her. "It is very much your business. Leila, look at me." 

She turned her head and obeyed. 

"What is _my_ business, is _yours_ too. Please…" He asked her with his voice as much as he pleaded with his eyes and heart. 

And Leila finally understood what he had meant all along. When he had said that she would be his last and his best, when he had asked to stay with him for the rest of his days. She finally understood him, she now measured how great the responsibility he was giving her was. He was really saying that he gave himself to her.

She frowned and looked more serious.

"I understand." She said. "Sorry to get it only now when you have said this so many times already." Leila apologise.

"I don't mind, as long as you do get it now. But you are right. Maybe this is the right time to tell him." 

There was a knock at the door. 

"Come in!" Lucien said.

"Glad to see you're not makin' out this time!" Lawrence said. "Who wants some chicken and fries?"

Leila looked at Lucien, he reciprocated and they exchanged a smile as Lawrence came closer with his basket of food. The smell of it filled the room and the cats got very curious. 

Lucien looked at his lover. 

_"C'est toi la poule que je mangerais bien pour déjeuner…"_

_[It's you who are the chicken I would eat for lunch…]_

"Ahem, I can understand French, ya pervy old man!" Lawrence said and Lucien turned as red as a brick.

"What?! Since when can you understand?!" Lucien asked, furious.

"Since Leila taught me, she's a bloody good teacher… Now, here's yer plate and let me serve you some chicken, _and I'm not talkin' about her!"_

Leila had burst out laughing seeing her lover's embarrassment on his cheeks. 

"Oh, mon amour…" She kissed him on the cheek. "Although I'm glad you understood, you're definitely getting better, Lawrence!"

[Oh, my love…]

The Australian had filled everyone's plates. He looked at Leila and said, with a smile:

_"Bien sûr!"_

_[Of course!]_

His pronounciation was twisted but it filled her with joy.

_**\--Author's notes --** _   
  


Thanks for reading!  
Let me know what you think and see you for 58!  



	58. Chapter 58

"Leila isn't here?" 

"Non, she needed to do some things back home." 

"Ah, fair enough." 

Lawrence handed his friend a mug of coffee and sat down on a chair next to his bed. 

"How did you know, Lawrence?" 

"About what?" 

"The other day when I woke up and you brought coffee, how did you know you needed three mugs and not two?" 

"Ah… Well I usually bring Leila her breakfast, and the other meals too. But I first have a look through the window to see if she's up or not. That morning I saw you, lyin' on yer side and moving yer hand on her cheek. So I knew you were awake."

"Ah, I see."

They both sipped on their coffee.

"How is the rest of the team? I am not seeing them at all." Lucien said.

"Well, they all know for Leila and you and I guess they don't want to bother you two." 

"Only _you_ do, Lawrence." Lucien smirked. 

"Oi, c'mon I don't bother you!"

They exchanged a laugh. 

"They're alroight. They ask me for news about you from time to time. Oh, did Leila tell you about the Admin's new contracts?" 

"Oui. I accepted mine and the fact that you're still here tells me that you accepted too."

"Yeah, for Leila." 

"Me too, but differently." 

They smiled. 

"Do you know if Jérémy accepted the offer?" Lucien asked. 

"Yeah, we all did actually. Nowhere else you're gonna find a job like that, really."

"True." Lucien paused. "I think I will tell the truth to Jérémy."

Lawrence's eyebrows jumped.

"Really?"

"I think so. I just need a favour from you." 

The Australian rolled his eyes. 

"Yeah well you'll owe me one more then, but go ahead."

"I want you to drive to my base and bring him here. I can't tell him about this on the phone."

"Alroight."

"You do accept?" Lucien asked. 

"Yeah. But first we need to talk about Leila."

The Frenchman felt the seriousness in his friend's voice.

"What about her?"

"You've got to understand how much she loves you."

Lucien raised an eyebrow. 

"I think I do, Lawrence."

"Nah, you don't get it. She told me… things… while you were sleepin'."

"What things?" 

Lawrence looked at the door and at Lucien again. 

"She said that if you didn't wake up… I… I uh, I shouldn't be looking for her."

Lucien's eyes snapped wide. 

"What…?" 

"Yeah, you heard me roight. It was… I didn't know what to do. So I told her that no, I wouldn't let that happen. If you didn't make it, I would take her with me to Australia and take care of her."

Lucien lowered his eyes. 

"You would have tried, Lawrence, I believe you, but you would not have managed." 

"What d'you mean?" 

"Leila is a better spy than I ever could dream of becoming. She would have hid away such that you wouldn't find her and she would have done exactly what she said."

"And it doesn't do anythin' to you?! I'm tellin' you she'd have k-"

"Yes! Of course!" The Frenchman cut him. "Of course I hear you and I understand. I… Hm. Can you see if she can come here? I need to know more about this."

"Alroight, will do. And while you're talkin', I'll bring your Scout in." 

"Thank you Lawrence. Your help is invaluable." 

"Yeah it bloody is! You're gonna have a lot to pay back someday, eh?" The Australian jokingly said while he took the empty coffee mugs.

"And I will without hesitation." Lucien replied. 

"Roight, I'll send Leila in. When she's with you, count about an hour and a half or so and your Scout will join."

"Understood." 

_\-- A few minutes later --_

Leila pushed the door. 

"What are you doing?!" 

She ran to her lover who had climbed out of his bed and was trying to stand up. He wobbled awkwardly on his legs and still had a hand on the bed to help him find his balance.

Leila helped him stand. 

"I am tired of staying sat or lying down. I want to walk again."

"Let me help you." 

She slid under his arm and held his torso.

"How does it feel?" She asked. 

"My knees seem a bit fragile… I can't manage to push my weight against gravity very well. I need to work on my thighs and legs. Can you help me take a few steps, please?" 

"Of course." 

The Frenchman awkwardly threw his legs in front of him, one after the other. 

"Lucien, this isn't good. You need to slow down. Take one step and find your balance before taking the next, otherwise I'm the one carrying you but you're not properly walking."

"You must be right. Let me try." 

He took a smaller step forward and Leila felt his weight shift slowly. 

"There you go… That's much better." 

"Merci." 

They exchanged a smile. 

"I guess I will have to take a lot of steps like these before I can walk back normally. I have lost quite a bit of muscle." 

"It's not too bad, and I'm here for you. We'll take as many steps as you need." 

Lucien slowly pivoted and wrapped his arms around Leila, hugging her dearly and burying his head down in her neck. She hummed happily. 

"Lawrence told me what you said to him, should I not have made it through." He calmly said. 

Leila broke the embrace, still trying to carry most of his weight and looked up at him. 

"Please don't do that. Don't even think about it." He asked. 

"But if you're… If you're not here what's the point of me and my life?" She answered. 

"To be the best spy on the face of the Earth." 

"Lucien…"

"Please help me sit back on the bed, my legs are trembling and I don't know how long I'll hold on still." 

"Of course." 

"Sit next to me, mon amour." 

She also climbed on the bed and snuggled up against him. He took her hand and stroked it. 

"The world needs more people like you, and fewer like me." He started. "It needs people who are good at what they're doing because they're doing it with their heart, not just their head."

"If you ask me, the world needs more unrealistically attractive men with salt and pepper hair, ice-blue eyes, custom-taylored suits and flirting skills from another universe…"

He kissed her forehead. 

"Non it doesn't. How would you choose between all of them?"

"Easily," She answered. "I'd choose the one who currently can't walk on his own!"

"Very poor choice." Lucien said, chuckling slightly.

"But I love him way beyond anyone before! He changed me and my life in ways that I hadn't thought possible."

"Non, you were made for me to find you." He said. 

"And you, you were made to blow my mind and steal my heart with as much as a flutter of your eyelashes." 

Lucien smiled proudly. 

"Leila, seriously. Please never think about what you said to Lawrence. Whatever happens to me, I want you to live and be happy. And who would take care of Perle? And our children?"

Leila's head was on Lucien's shoulder below his chin. 

"Can I be honest?" She asked. 

"I would appreciate it." 

"After we got caught by Gray Mann and his men, we were put in cells and… I thought they had done the worst to you so… I mean… You will tell me off again for it but…"

"Your fake tooth?" He asked. "You were tempted to use the cyanide, weren't you?" 

She nodded silently. 

"I will show you something. Look at me." 

Leila turned and sat up to look at him. Lucien put his fingers in his mouth and when he got them out, there was a small white tooth in his hand. 

"I have it too, although it is a molar for me. Watch."

The Frenchman opened it in halves. It was empty. 

"What did you do with the cyanide?!" She asked worried to the bone. "Don't tell me that you-?!"

"Non, relax. I threw it away." 

Leila's eyes snapped wide open.

"You did what?"

"I threw it away." He repeated. "I do not fear torture, nor do I worry about other countries or France finding me. There is only one thing I fear." 

"What is it?" She asked with her big round dark eyes. 

"Losing you, mon amour. And no amount of cyanide would be able to fix that."

She looked at the open tooth in his hand and frowned. The cyanide was there to serve as their ultimate way out, should they get captured. But he _threw it away_ …? 

"Since when?" She asked. 

"Since I understood that you were that woman, the _right one."_

"Why?" She asked. "Why did you throw it away?" 

"I don't want to see my days end anytime soon. I have way too many things to live with you. France can go fuck itself. If someone caught me, I'll try my best to retain the information that I have, which is obsolete for most of it now, but my priority would be to make it back home to you. I don't need this poison." 

"Then, neither do I." 

She removed her wisdom tooth and threw it in the bin entirely. Lucien put his empty molar back and looked at her. 

"I feel the same for you, Lucien, but I had never thought about it that way. And you are right, it makes sense." 

"Merci, Leila." 

"Non, thank _you._ " 

Silence fell and he pulled her to himself again wrapping his arms around her.

"Leila?"

"Hm?" 

"You know what I will say." 

"Say it anyway, it's important." 

He smiled.

"It very much is. I love you."

"I love you too."

Their embrace lasted and lasted for long minutes. They had both discovered that they could be catastrophically clingy, even though it was something that they developed with each other. Never had they enjoyed physical touch that much before. 

"Leila?" 

"Oui?"

"I need to tell you something."

She looked at him. 

"Lawrence is on his way to bring Jérémy. I will tell him." 

Leila's eyes snapped wide. 

"Are you sure about this?" 

"Oui. I need you to do me a favour though." 

"Tell me." 

"I need you to go to my suitcase and find a small book. Bring it to me, please." 

"Of course, I will be right back." 

She jumped down off the bed and headed for the door. 

"Are you not forgetting anything?" He asked.

She stopped sharp and came back to the bed, a smile on her face. 

"Pardon, mon coeur." 

[Sorry, sweetheart.]

She bent and put her lips on his. They broke the kiss in a loud lapping noise and took a second to stare at each other before she went away. 

A few minutes later, Leila entered again with a red, leathered book. 

"Is that the one?" 

"Oui! Perfect!"

She handed it to him. 

"We have a few minutes before they arrive. Come on the bed, I'll show you." 

She obeyed and watched as Lucien opened the book. It was a photo album. 

"Is that-?" She started but he cut her.

"Oui, it's me when I was young. I must have been 25 years old or so on this."

"Aw… You look…" 

"I look…?" 

"If I had been of the same age and saw you, I would have jumped on you." She said.

"And I would have let you, _ma belle."_

_[My beauty.]_

He flipped the page. 

"This is the picture that they took when I joined the intelligence services… This is me after one of my very first successful missions." 

"Your hair was much, much longer…!"

"Oui. I had to let it grow for that mission. How do you find it?" 

She blushed and went to his ear. 

_"I can't tell you…"_ She whispered. 

"Of course you can, come on, tell me." He insisted. 

_"Sexy…"_

He blushed. 

"Do you prefer me with my hair as it is now or like on the picture?" 

"I love both. I love you anyway." 

"Well, the fact that you got too shy to tell me suggests that I should let my hair grow." He said and could almost feel her body temperature rise. 

"Whatever you choose, I just… I… Let's look at those pictures, shall we…?" She tried to change the subject of the conversation.

"Fine, as you wish…" She felt a hand on her thigh. _"But this conversation is not over."_

Leila gulped down hard as her heart woke up fast. Lucien turned the pages and continued commenting. 

"Oh, and this is baby Jérémy I guess?" She asked.

"Indeed. And that is his mother."

"She looks very good…!" Leila commented and Lucien didn't dare say anything. "Jérémy has her mouth and her nose. But the shape of his eyes is yours, and the colour is darker than yours, maybe it's hers or a mix?" 

She stared longer. 

"She has nothing to do with me though. She's white, has longer, straight hair, she has much more curvy shapes than I do…" 

Lucien felt awkward. Should he say something? If so, what? What could he possibly say?

"I can't imagine her not being soft with you. I imagine you were arrogant when you were young too, and that's what got her. Your sense of pride." 

Leila realised she had been monologuing for a while. 

"Lucien? You don't say anything?" 

"I… I don't know what to say. I don't want you to feel bad or jealous or-"

Leila laughed. 

"If you manage to make me jealous, you deserve all the medals in the world. I am the least jealous woman in the world."

"Hm." 

"I am being serious, Lucien. You can say what you want. I did tell you, I find her very pretty, in a very feminine way." 

"She was, yes, and I fell for it. She was the most beautiful woman I had seen so far. I had gone over her American manners, because I saw how soft and loving she could be. A simple woman at heart, she looked for a simple life."

"I'm almost sad for you two. Imagine if you had stayed together. Scout would certainly not be a paid killer now."

"You are right." Lucien said. "But because of me, he has chosen that life."

"Not because of you, come on. Surely it didn't help that you weren't there for him but he is a man now. He _chose_ this job. He knows the dangers." 

"I hope so." 

"I'm sure he does." She answered. "Oh by the way, do you want me to go and leave you alone to chat?" 

"If you don't mind, of course." Lucien asked, slightly embarrassed. 

"Absolutely fine with me." She kissed his cheek. 

"Thank you so much." He answered. "And come here, that is no proper kiss…"

He made her lose her mind for a few seconds that seemed too short for her but the intensity of his kiss made her eyes roll and her mind spin.

"I love the way that you kiss me." She said, when they parted. 

He put his thumb on her lower lip and pulled it down slightly.

"Wait for me to be able to use my legs again, and I'll show you the rest of my play." 

She blushed beyond her ears and melted on her seat, in his arms. 

"I should probably go." She finally said, when the heat of what he said passed. 

"Fine."

"Good luck to you. You'll be fantastic." Leila said, looking in his eyes. 

He smiled. 

"I will try my best." 

"Non." Leila turned and added right before slipping out of the room. "You _are my best."_

He smiled and lowered his head to hide his blush as the door shut. It wasn't long before Jérémy knocked on the door. The Frenchman adjusted his position on the bed and took a deep breath. 

"Come in." 

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading!

Let me know what you thought :D 

See you!

  
  
  



	59. Chapter 59

"Hey, Spy, you wanted to see me?" 

"Oui, pray take a seat." 

Jérémy obeyed.

"You look much better than last time I saw you!"

Lucien smiled. 

"Oui, I feel like it too, although standing up and walking are still a challenge. But that is not why you are here.”

"So why did you wanna see me?"

"I have something to tell you,  _ Scout." _

"Yeah, I figured. I asked your Snipes to tell me but he said only you could. He didn't look like he didn't know though, and he seemed so embarrassed…"

"I imagine he would be so. Uhm, do you mind taking a look at this book here." 

Lucien handed him the photo album. 

"Oh, uh, sure."

The young man took the red leathered book and opened it. 

"Is that a photo album?"

"Oui. It doesn't have many pictures but it has some important ones." 

Scout turned the pages. 

"Hey! You kinda looked like me when you were younger, eh?"

Lucien smiled. 

"Oh and wait a second… That lady, she looks like my Ma’ when she was younger… And you’re holding a baby there…”

The Frenchman frowned and closed his eyes. He was waiting for it, for the moment Jérémy would understand. He flipped a page.

“Ma’ has the same picture of me! It’s me when I was a baby, I-...” Jérémy frowned and raised his eyes. “How did you get that photo, Spy?”

“You may call me by my name, Lucien.”

“Ok but how did you get this picture?”

“Continue through the photos and think.”

The young man sighed and went on. The pages rolled before his eyes, and as his lack of understanding grew, the pictures flew faster and faster.

“How? How did you get those pictures? This is really Ma’, isn’t it? Spy, did you go through my life? Did you spy on me?”

“Non.”

Jérémy raised his eyes to Lucien.

“How then?”

“See the pictures of your mother?”

“Yeah?”

“I personally took them.”

“How did you get her to accept her to pose for all of them? Did you pretend you were some photographer or something?”

Lucien held himself back and didn’t roll his eyes up.

“Non, Jérémy, I…”

“What? How d’you know my name?!”

Lucien put a hand on his face and sighed. He started regretting his decision.

“C’mon, you can’t just shut up, you perv’! You’ve got an album full of pictures of my Ma’ and you don’t say how you got “them?!”

“Did your mother ever talk about your father? Did she ever tell you anything about him?”

“What’s it got to do with this?”

“Just answer, please.”

“Well, when I ask her about him she just says that he was the biggest liar the Earth had seen and she’s glad I don’t look like him too much.”

Lucien removed the hand from his face. He looked distraught and Jérémy got confused.

“What’s your point Spy? And why d’you look so sad?”

“Jérémy, who do you know is a compulsive liar, a liar so skilled at it that he makes a living out of it. Who do you think would give you a name that exists in French too? And who do you think your mother would trust enough to live with her and take those pictures of her?”

Lucien was staring in his son’s eyes. He was pleading with his black round pupils, he was screaming with his fair irises. He begged that the young man would understand.

“Oh my....”

He saw it and could practically hear it. The  _ click _ in Jérémy’s mind, the realisation dawning on him like a bucket of ice water would splash him by surprise. 

“Jérémy, I…” Lucien cleared his throat. "Your father, it's me.”

The young man got petrified on his seat. His lips parted but no sound came out. Lucien let the silence weigh, to give time for his son to process the information, to let him digest it in his own time. He would not disturb him.

“You…? You’re my Dad?”

Lucien nodded.

“Oui. I… I should apologise.”

Jérémy frowned and his eyes flashed angrily.

“Yeah! Yeah you fuckin’ should! Where have you been all those years?! Why did you leave Ma’ alone?”

If his father hadn’t already been on a hospital bed, the Bostonian would have punched him. Instead, he clenched his jaw and his fists and sprang to his feet. He paced the room right and left and his voice grew angrier.

“You’re a fuckin’ monster! To leave her with me, I was- I was a baby for fuck’s sake!” 

The Frenchman sat on the edge of his bed and let his legs flow down until his feet touched the floor.

“You got her pregnant and left!”

Lucien pushed hard on his legs and thighs, a hand still on the bed to help him find his balance at first. Jérémy was coming and going, enraged as he shouted.

“And what did you do? You packed your stuff and vanished!”

Lucien took a step, spreading his arms right and left slightly, to help him balance himself, his knees wobbling under his weight.

“A woman! Alone! PREGNANT! WHAT KIND OF SHIT MAN ARE YA?!”

The Frenchman raised his arm and blocked his son from taking another step.

“I need to explain myself to you. I did not pack my stuff and leave as you say. I made a mistake and  _ she _ left.”

Jérémy closed the gap between him and his father. He put a threatening index finger on Lucien’s chest.

“What did you do then? And I swear if you lie this time, I’ll beat you up and make sure no Doc’ will fix you!”

“I did my job, Jérémy. If you give me a few days, I can even show you the files that prove it. I was sent to Boston on a mission originally. As part of the job, at some point I had to meet a lady. It turns out that between the moment I set foot in America and the moment I met that woman, several months had passed, and I found one that I thought would be  _ the one _ for me.”

Lucien winced for an instant. It was hard to maintain his balance, his whole body seemed to weigh more and more as time was passing by.

“I met that woman in a nightclub and… One of your mother's friends happened to be there too, she thought I was flirting with my contact where I was only pretending, to get the information I needed.”

“You liar-!” Jérémy took his father by the collar of his white hospital robe.

“Non! I had even sent my resignation letter to the Minister of Defense, I was about to finish my job, resign and settle with your mother!”   
  
“You fuckin’ animal, you still lie at my face! I’ll beat you up and make you swallow your teeth, not for me, but for Ma’!”

Jérémy raised his fist and launched it full speed. Lucien put his hands on Jérémy’s shoulders to maintain his balance and took the blow to the jaw. He spat the blood away.

“Jérémy! Listen!”

“No, you fuckin’ monster!”

Another hit and Lucien’s left knee gave up. He clung to his son’s t-shirt and pushed himself back to his feet, groaning out of pain and tiredness.

“I swear on whatever you think I hold most precious to me, I can even have the former French Minister of defense at the time write his version of the story to you! When he received my letter, he phoned me and begged me to not resign, to continue working because I was  _ that good _ at my job!”

Jérémy’s tears were flowing down his face. He was realising that he was hitting the man who, twenty years ago, looked like him. Now that Lucien wasn’t wearing the mask anymore, Jérémy realised that he was essentially beating up his older reflection in a mirror.

“When I hit home that night, your mother confronted me, saying that I was cheating on her where I was not! I had to pretend I was to safely talk to my contact!” 

“If everything you say is true, why didn’t you explain yourself to Ma’? Why didn’t you tell her what you say is the truth?”

“To protect HER and YOU, even though you hadn’t yet come to this world-argh..!”

Lucien collapsed on the floor, on his knees first but even they couldn’t carry him so he laid down on his stomach. He managed to gather enough strength to prop himself on his forearms and looked up. 

“Jérémy, I had no choice. Either I told the truth but exposed your mother and you to a danger that I wasn’t sure I could protect you against. Or I didn’t say anything and let her hate me.”

The young man crouched down, and wiped his face with the back of his hand.

“Why did you choose that?”

“Because that way, I was sure that she would be safe. If she hated me, I didn’t have to make any effort to push her as far away as I could from me, she would do it herself. And she would then also make sure that you would grow up sheltered from my shadow, from my position and the ongoing threats that went with it, argh… Please, help me stand up...”

Lucien looked at the floor. The blood dripping from his nose had stained the light grey tiles.

“Jeez…”

Jérémy helped his father up and made him sit on his bed. He sat in front of him on the chair.

“Believe me. Everything I did, I did it so that you and your mother would be safe.”

“So… You did want me?”

“Of course I did, as I still do. I know I don’t have any legitimacy to say this but I am proud of you, Jérémy. I am proud of the man you have grown up to become.”

The Bostonian lowered his head.

“Why tell me the truth now?”

“Because that is the reason why I went through the whole trouble of getting you out of Gray Mann’s hands. Had it not been for you, I would not have gone to the BLU team, I wouldn’t have met Leila, I wouldn’t have dragged her whole team with me. Actually, you should thank her too. As soon as I told her that I was your father, she immediately offered to help.”

Jérémy shook his head.

“Had it not been for you, I would have enquired on the whereabouts of the rest of the team of course. But I would have done it on my own. It would have taken me so much more time. Leila and her team, they helped beyond what I could have expected.”

“What… What about her? Will you do with her like you did to Ma’?”

“Non. I have retired from my duties with the French government and they don’t know where I am. In their eyes, I have disappeared. The irony, or not so much, is that it is the same for Leila. She used to be a French spy and resigned, for vastly different reasons than me. In fact, it is very much like the reasons that pushed me to send my resignation letter when I met your mother. She wants to find the right man and settle down, live a normal life.”

“And she met you here?”

Lucien nodded.

“Oui. She... “ The Frenchman hesitated. “Actually that is not the point, Jérémy. I just wanted to tell you the truth because I owe it to you, because if something were to happen to me, at least, you would know who your father is. I thought that maybe it mattered to you, even if I can’t do much anymore now. I… I’ve wasted the best years I could spend with you, they’re all gone. You are not a child who needs your father anymore, I am sorry. I wanted you to know that despite all that, you matter to me. You always have.”

Lucien raised his hand and bent forward. He removed his son’s cap off his head and put his hand on his cheek. Jérémy screwed his eyes shut.

“I am sorry,  _ mon fils.” _

_ [my son] _

“It’s… Stop lyin’, please.”

Lucien’s eyes snapped wide.

“I am not lying, I am telling you the truth of what I…  _ feel.” _

“No. You said I don’t need my Dad anymore. That’s a lie. I always need you.”

Jérémy stood up and hugged his father dearly.

“Sorry that I punched you… I just…”

“I understand. I surely would have done the same, if not worse.” Lucien answered.

They clung there, Jérémy standing at the edge of the bed, Lucien sat on it, his tears mixing with the blood below his nose and at the corner of his mouth. The Frenchman continued speaking, his chin on his son’s shoulder.

“Will you… forgive me, please, Jérémy? I’m sorry I can’t find the proper words but I am immensely sorry to have left you behind. I didn’t want to. I just wanted you to be safe, I just wanted you to grow up as normally as possible. I know it was far from the case, I am sorry. I am so sorry. I… There isn’t a day that passes where I don’t wonder whether I took the right decision. In all these years I kept a distant eye on you and your mother. The bills that she couldn’t pay and got magically resolved? That was me. The holidays in Florida that you won through a stupid supermarket game, that was me too. Your bicycles? That was me. I-I swear I tried Jérémy, I really did... But-”

“Shut up, old man, shut up. I.. I love you."

Lucien's breath cut short and he blushed, his eyes going as round as an owl’s. The embrace tightened from both parts.

“I didn’t know you actually wanted me. I didn’t know that you tried…”

“I did, even if I know it was not enough.”

“No, it wasn’t but I sorta understand why now. I... I forgive you, it’s fine.”

“Thank you so much, thank you so, so much.”

The Frenchman raised his eyes to the door and nodded. Leila had been standing there, watching the whole scene. 

"Do you mind if I ask Leila to come in?"

"No, she can come."

"Merci. Leila?" 

The young lady pushed the door and stepped in as Jérémy broke the embrace with his father.

"Hello, uhm..." She hesitated to call him by his name. " _... Scout." _

"Hey, uhm, I'm Jeremy." 

"And I'm Leila as you now know." Her eyes went to her lover. "Oh mon Dieu, you're bleeding, let me get something to clean you up." 

"Merci." 

Leila brought some cotton and disinfectant. She sat on the edge of the bed next to Lucien and cleaned his wound. 

"Did you break his nose?" She asked.

"Uh, I-I don't know, I hope not. I'm sorry." 

"It's fine." She smiled. "Believe me, he ate a few punches stronger than that." 

Lucien raised an eyebrow and her eyes went to his. 

"And they were well deserved."

"I beg to differ." The Frenchman argued.

"Stop talking, I can't clean you properly when your lips are moving!" 

Jérémy smiled. He was impressed as he had never seen Spy obey anyone else before. 

"Right, there you go, I think the blood stopped dripping now and you look decent."

"Only  _ decent?" _ He asked.

"Shush!" She answered and tapped the tip of his nose with her index before going away to dispose of everything. 

"Were you like that with Ma' too?" 

Lucien blushed. 

"To be honest with you, I think so, oui, although I was more uhm… Rebellious, in a way. I would rarely listen to her and it proved to be a mistake more than once. Women just have a way to know what's good and bad for you, I don't know how they do it."

Leila came back. 

"Well, contrary to popular belief, we can use our brains more than our hearts. That's how we do it. Men pretend to not have a heart but end up only listening to their gut feeling." 

"You must be right,  _ Madame."  _

Jérémy opened wide eyes as Leila sat back next to her lover. 

"Wow man, does he always listen to you like that?" 

"He'd better." She simply answered and Lucien rolled his eyes up with a smile. Deep down, he liked the luxury of trusting someone well enough to feel like he could completely abandon himself to her. 

Lucien leant on her shoulder, and she smiled. 

"Whatever he told you, Jérémy, it is true. But I'm sure there are a few things he didn't mention." 

The young man opened wide eyes. 

"Your father here loves you. He will never say it because of who he is, but he does." 

Lucien lowered his head in embarrassment. 

"And the reason why he went through all the trouble of coming to me and my team, getting nearly shot and shredded by first the robots, then us, is because of you and your mother. He freed you for her too."

"You still love Ma'?!" Jérémy exclaimed. 

Lucien shook his head. 

"Non but… Uh…" He took Leila's hand in his, and to give him strength, she squeezed it. She continued for him. 

"He feels like he owes her, because when she left, he still loved her, and because she raised you to be the man that you are today. He sees it as a debt that he will never be able to fully repay, like an itch he will never manage to scratch away."

Lucien's head hung low still, and he closed his eyes. His heart beat fast and he was paralysed. Hearing what he had been holding in his heart for decades said out loud, the words diffusing out for the entire world to listen in, it made him feel naked. 

"Jérémy, what your father has not said, I guess, is that he is here for you. You know who he is now, but you don't know what he is ready to do for you. You don't know and you probably won't until you have a child yourself."

She paused and hugged Lucien, putting a hand through his hair and pushing him against her chest. Leila felt his arms lace around her sides. He still didn't dare look Jérémy in the eye. And that sight impressed the young man. He didn't know his Spy could be  _ emotional _ ,  _ vulnerable _ ,  _ sensitive. _

"As for me, well, Lucien is everything I have and you are half him. If you need anything, I would gladly do my best to help you, whatever it might be. I know how hard it can be to talk to him sometimes but believe me, he is trying his best. And so am I." 

The Frenchman raised his head but kept his eyes closed. 

"She knows me better than I know myself…" He finally said as he opened his eyes. "Merci, Leila." 

"You're welcome." 

"I…" Jérémy was at a loss for words. He stood up and closing the gap, he hugged them both. 

To Lucien, it felt like both the halves of a senseless life were mending. The half before his heart broke, and the half after Leila found it and with a force of which he ignored the existence, she fixed. The Frenchman was between his son and the woman without whom none of that would have been possible. 

But was it all? Was that finally his mission for happiness accomplished? Was that the end? 

Non. Something was missing.

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Sorry for the long delay before this update, I'm taking requests for short Sniper/Spy stories that you can find on AO3 too ^^

I am still continuing this story of course but it just takes me a bit more time, I hope you will understand!!

See you for 60!


	60. Chapter 60

Both Lucien and Leila were used to it now. They would sleep together, sticking two hospital beds next to each other. That morning, Lucien woke up first, like he usually did and stared at the woman of his desires. 

One could almost forget her reputation as a cold-blooded mankiller when she slept like that. He stared at her, his thoughts following his eyes. Her eyelids were shut and immobile, her long black eyelashes beautifully curved up. His eyes went down to her lips. Her upper lip was naturally a few shades darker than her lower one. He hadn't noticed it before but now it struck him. 

He slowly flapped his eyelids and breathed the peace of the moment. She looked like an angel, a defenseless angel, someone who would need someone else to protect her against the harshness of life. Ha, in fact Lucien knew she didn't need anyone and it made her even more attractive. The idea of a woman who was behaving like one, not like a rotten spoilt princess, but like a Queen who wouldn't accept anyone as her King. 

The Frenchman smiled without realising it. 

He wished she saw him like it, like the King that he struggled to be, an old king who had lost his realm and his riches only to become a poor castaway. He had maintained appearances for long, painful years but thanks to her, he was feeling like a man again. A whole, proud man, someone who was able to carry the sky on his shoulders, just for her to walk safely underneath.

Lucien's hand went to her side and brushed her waist and her upper thigh on her night dress. He felt the fibres of it below his fingers. But that was not what he wanted. Lucien raised the edge of her dress and touched her thigh, on her bare skin and it hit him like a punch in the throat. 

All those weeks that she cared for him, she had no guarantee that he would wake up. And yet she had stayed, faithful and hopeful, patient and caring. She tended to his wounds as much as she took care of his hygiene. She cleaned him and shaved him, cut his hair too.

Lucien sighed. All his life he had been looking until he lost hope and stopped. Such a woman only existed in his mind, or so he thought until he met her. And now, she was his reason to live, his oxygen to breathe and the thread that connected him to life. Non, she  _ was _ life. Had it not been for her, he wouldn't have held on that much. 

"Hm…" Leila kept her eyes closed.

"Oh, bonjour." 

She slid her hand down and put it on top of his, on her thigh, humming and smiling.

"Bonjour, mon amour."

[Good morning, my love.]

She said and slid closer to him, her legs mingling with his under the thin cover. Leila buried her head in his chest. 

"Leila?"

"Hm?"

"Je t'aime." 

[I love you.]

"Moi aussi, je t'aime."

[Me too, I love you.]

She raised her head and kissed his neck. 

"I want to walk again and go back to our room. I'm sick of this hospital bed." 

"I'm no doctor but we could ask Medic if we can go back to our room. You're plugged to barely nothing now."

"Oui. But I need to be able to walk again. I am tired of relying on you that much. I want to be able to do what I want without your help." 

Leila raised her eyes and looked into his. 

"Oh, you've made a lot of progress, don't be so hard on yourself. And you did go outside with Lawrence a few days ago. Besides, it doesn't bother me at all, Lucien."

"Non, but it does me. I want to repay it all."

"What are you talking about? Repay what? All I did, I did without counting or anything. I'm offended you should think you owe me. I'm… I mean you are my…  _ man. _ Nursing you is a responsibility I accept gladly. I don't see myself anywhere else but at your side."

Lucien sighed and held Leila close to himself.

"You are the most precious person I've ever met." He squeezed her. "I love you so mu-"

"Mornin' here, coffee's ready!" 

Lawrence had barged in the room with a familiarity that both amused and annoyed the Frenchman. 

"And for once you're not makin' out as I come in. Perfect!"

Lucien covered Leila better with the bed sheet.

"Bushman, there is a woman in her night dress here, could you have the decency…?"

"Non, it's fine, Lucien." Leila cut him. "He's seen me like that before. And I don't care."

Lucien raised an eyebrow. 

"Don't look at me like that." She whispered in his ear. " _ I've never shown him what I show you…" _

The Frenchman smiled and kissed her forehead. 

"I hope so…!"

Lawrence put the coffee on the table. 

"I'll give you a few minutes and I'll come back for breakfast, alroight?" 

The Australian nodded at both of them and left. The two Frenchies woke up. 

"Come on, old man, I'll pull you out of bed." 

Leila had pushed her bed away and came close to help her lover to his feet. He sat at the edge of the bed and dropped his feet to the ground. 

"Let me try on my own today. Go to the bathroom."

"What if you fall?" 

"I won't." 

"Alright." She went to the bathroom door and looked back at him. 

Lucien stood off the bed. He had worked on that movement for weeks now. He removed his hands from the bed and awkwardly put a foot in front of the other. His balance was still fragile but he took his steps, slowly, making sure that after each, he would find a new balance. After a minute or so, he was within arm's reach from Leila who was holding her hand out to him. He took it and pulled on it. 

"Oo-!" 

She got pulled in an embrace and pushed in the bathroom. 

"Lu'-mh!"

A pair of lips made her speech cut short… 

_ \-- Later, hospital room -- _

"So, what did you guys do a couple days ago?" Leila asked.

Lawrence raised his eyes to Lucien. 

"Gentlemen's talk, Madame. Lawrence was kind enough to help me take a few steps outside and breathe some fresh air."

"Alright." 

The Frenchman glimpsed at his friend. He seemed unfazed. 

"Leila?"

"Oui?" 

"Are you not getting bored?" Lucien asked.

"Of what?"

"Staying in the base lookin' after yer old boyfriend." Lawrence answered.

" _ Boyfriend?" _ Lucien repeated. "What are we, twelve?" 

"Gentlemen…" Leila cut them. "Non, I'm not bored." 

"Fine." Lucien answered. 

"Oh, uh, gimme a second, I'll be right back." 

Lawrence left the room and quickly came back. 

"What did I miss?" He asked.

"Lucien is blind to his own progress. He walked out of his bed and went all the way to the bathroom on his own today!" Leila answered. 

"Oh, congrats Spook, you lost ten years eh!"

"Bushman…!"

Leila chuckled and the door opened. Medic appeared.

"Good morning."

"Hey, Doc'." 

"I think it is time for a complete check up."

"Do we really have to do this,  _ Docteur?" _

"Ja, we do. On the bright side of things, it might be the last one before I can send you back home."

"Ah, finally!" Lucien raised his arms up as if to thank the Lord. 

"But I will need the entire day." 

"The day?!" Leila asked. 

"Ja. It is a complete check up, blood samples, scans and everything. I want to be absolutely sure that I can let you go for good." 

Lucien sighed. He was visibly not looking forward to it. 

"Well, that's great news, sounds like I get Leila fer myself the whole day, eh?" Lawrence wiggled his eyebrows, mocking the Frenchman. 

"Bushman, if you get too close to her, I swear I'll-!"

"Lu', Lawrence, please. Alright, Doctor, we'll leave you to work I guess."

"Danke. I'll give you a few minutes and will come back to start." 

"Perfect…" Lucien said,  _ thrilled. _

The German doctor spun on his heels and left. 

"Roight, I'll be at the van, join me whenever." 

"Alright." 

The Australian left too, leaving the room for Leila and Lucien alone. Before going to the van he went to Medic's office. 

"Hey, Doc'?" 

"Sniper?" 

"Great job."

"Ah, well, it wasn't too hard. Good luck to you." 

Lawrence nodded. Inside Lucien's room, the two lovebirds had continued their chat, both sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Leila, you should go to town with Lawrence, get some fresh air."

"Oui, I guess I don't have anything better to do."

"Here's an idea. Take my wallet and go treat yourself."

Her eyebrows jumped. 

"Mon amour, non, I am not that kind of woman."

"Then I ask you this as a favour. Go with Lawrence and come back with at least a dress."

"A  _ dress?" _ She repeated. 

"Oui, a beautiful dress, the most beautiful you can find."

"Why?" She asked. 

"Because I have yet to see you with one."

"You did when you took me out to dance." 

"Oui, but that dress was dark. I want to see you in a light coloured one, please. I'm sure a light pink or a white one would make you look like an angel. To be honest with you, I want to take a couple of steps outside with you today, when Medic will be done. Also, now that I think about it, you know what you could do?" He asked, putting his index under her chin. 

"Non, what?" 

He smirked and whispered. 

_ "Get something nice to wear for the night, choose whatever you want… surprise me." _

Leila blushed and lowered her head to hide it. Seeing those pleading eyes made her yield. 

"Fine, I'll get a fair dress and…  _ and what you asked _ . But I won't use your wallet."

"It isn't mine anymore anyway, it's ours." 

He took her hand and kissed her knuckles.

"Merci, mon amour." She answered.

[Thanks my love.]

He put his hand on her cheek and pulled her in for a kiss that she found long and passionate, for her greatest delight. When their lips parted, she looked like she was waking up from the sweetest dream. 

"Je t'aime, Lucien."

[I love you, Lucien.]

He smiled and brushed her cheek with his thumb.

"Et moi, je suis fou de toi. Now go before Medic comes."

[And I love you madly.]

"Alright." 

She jumped off the bed and headed for the door. But she stopped and turned. Lucien didn't understand why and tilted his head on the side, raising an eyebrow. Leila walked back to him and hugged him dearly. 

" _ Je penserai fort à toi, tu vas me manquer." _

_ [I will think of you, and I'll miss you.] _

He smiled and wrapped his arms around her. 

_ "Toi aussi, Princesse." _

_ [You too, Princess.] _

He kissed her head and after a last look in her eyes, she left the room. 

_ \-- Sniper's van -- _

"So I've got you all fer myself today, eh?" 

"Oui, as it turns out."

"Anythin' you want to do?" 

"Lucien asked me to buy a dress."

"So first it's the tailor and now it's a dress. I'm gettin' convinced that next step will be the hairdresser…!" Lawrence said.

"I think he likes my hair as it is though."

She looked at her friend who smirked. 

"Is that what he told you…?" Lawrence asked.

"Why? Did he tell you otherwise?"

"He told me things…"

"Oh Lawrence don't be like that, what did he tell you?"

"Not gonna say!" The Australian chuckled.

"What?! Since when are you siding with him?"

"Since it gets us some good banter, mate… Alroight, apart from the dress, is there anythin' else you want to do or can we just stroll around?"

"Some private business for which I won't need you and apart from that, strolling around it is I think, unless you have stuff to do, Lawrence." 

"Couple of things I want to have a look at, but not much."

"Alright." 

The van entered the city. 

"So what shops should we go to?"

" _ We?  _ You're going to help me find a dress?" Leila asked. 

"Why not?"

"A  _ dress,  _ Lawrence."

"What's wrong with it? I've got great taste,  _ as you know." _

"Do I?"

"Oh you sound like yer boyfriend now…"

"He's not my boyfriend! And go into that street there, we should be able to park the van and get to the shops."

"Alroight… And also, yeah he bloody is. What is he then? You  _ partner? Companion?" _

"Well to be fair, he is the sexy old man I take care of for the moment…" 

Lawrence parked the van.

" _ Sexy old man?"  _ He repeated. "We sure about that?" 

"Well, he is quite a bit older than you and me."

"It wasn't the  _ old _ part I was arguin', Princess… Alroight, we're good to go, I'll follow ya." 

They exited the van and Leila took a second to think which shops she wanted to go. 

"He insisted that it should be as beautiful as it could get, and a fair colour." She said.

"Go fer white then." 

"Oui, I think it might be a good idea. Although I am surprised." 

Lawrence opened the door of the shop for Leila to go in. 

"Why?"

"I don't know, it's weird. It almost feels like a tantrum he's throwing… Go buy a dress he says, and it's got to be white or light pink. It's strange."

"I think he's just sick of staying in his room. When we went out a couple of days ago, I took him walking around and he told me how much he missed it all. You wouldn't believe how happy and excited he was."

"Ah, fair. Poor Lu'... " Leila's hands went to the clothes rails here and there and she started having a look at the dresses.

"So, yeah do him a favour and do whatever he says, eh. He's a bit uh… A bit sad, really." 

"That much?" She asked. 

"Well, imagine bein' locked up in a room for months, not bein' able to even walk on yer own." 

"Oui, you're right…" 

"Also, he's quite uh…  _ unhappy _ cause uh… I don't know how to say this really but uh… well, a man has his needs, I guess…"

Leila blushed. 

"Does he also talk to you about  _ that?" _

"N-not that much and I always ask him to cut it short. But he does wish he could do more."

It hurt Leila almost physically. Yes they had been spending the past months or so  _ only sleeping at night _ , but it wasn't so bad for her. 

"What do you think?" Lawrence asked. 

"I-I think it's fine I mean we don't have much choice. Although…"

"Yeah?" 

She sighed and took a couple of dresses in her hands. 

"I guess I wish the same deep down. But the circumstances don't allow for it, so we have to be patient… Alright, I'll go and try those three, do you mind waiting nearby? I want your opinion on them."

"Alroight, oh look, chairs… I'll wait here, go ahead."

"Thanks, Snoopy." 

"It's alroight."

Leila disappeared in a changing room and exited a minute later. 

"How do I look?" 

She stood where Lawrence could see her and looked at herself in the mirror.

"Not yer best, green's ugly, especially that light green. Try another one."

"Alright, sorry…!"

Leila went in the changing booth again.

"Ya looked like a pistachio and caramel ice cream, 's weird."

"I can hear you, Lawrence…!"

She exited again.

"What about this one?"

"Pale yellow? Really? He'd say it looks like my jara-"

"Shush! I get it, I'll change it…!"

The Australian chuckled. 

"Alright, what about this one?" 

"Light pink, now we're talkin'... He was right, it suits ya. This one's the best so far but I'd try and find a white one."

She twisted and turned in front of the mirror.

"What's this obsession with the colours…?"

"It's fer him, I couldn't care less what colour you choose."

"Hm. I think you're right… I'll keep this one in mind. Let's go to another shop and see." 

And it lasted for the entire morning until they went to sit and have some lunch. 

"You're very patient for a man, Lawrence."

"Well, it's part of my job, waitin' for hours…"

"Oui, I guess so, but here you are, being dragged from one shop to the next and still remaining calm."

"I'm not doin' all the work,  _ you  _ are."

"Oui, but still, thanks for sticking with me." 

"Yeah well, you and your  _ boyfriend _ owe me quite a lot, eh…!"

The waiter arrived with their food. He laid the plates and disappeared. 

"Oh, Lord… Remind me to call your mister your  _ boyfriend _ , Snoop…"

"Well, I first need to get one, but alroight…!" 

They dug in their plates. 

"Any other shops you want to check out after lunch?"

"Just one I think, and then I'll get you a drink or two."

"Oh that sounds nice, eh!" 

"Take it as a thanks, for being the best friend I've ever had."

She lowered her head.

"Aw, gettin' emotional, are we?" 

"Well, it's been a wild year or so now, don't you think?" 

"Yeah, it was wild."

"In one year, I joined you guys, I became a man and a mercenary. I then found you, Lawrence, my Snoopy."

"And I, you. My parents want to meet ya." 

"What?!"

"I talk to them about you all the time, you and Lucien actually. I think… I think I've never had such good friends before, or at least that's what they say."

"Lucien loves you at least as much as I do."

"Well, he's a great friend. Looks awfully good too…"

"Hey, don't get any ideas, Snoop!"

He chuckled. 

"Don't worry, I wouldn't want him, he's too posh and weird and… uh… ew…"

"Shush! He's perfect as he is!" 

Lawrence gave a short laugh. 

"If you say so…!" 

"I do!" 

Both friends took their time to finish their meals. 

"Alright, ready for the last shop?" 

"Yeah, let's finish this, Princess."

They paid for their food and Leila led the way to the last shop.

"Right, they've got plenty of dresses here, it should be easy to find something…"

"Go ahead, I'll follow ya." 

They went around that shop and Leila's hand filled up fairly quickly. 

"Alright, I'll try these few ones…"

" _ Few ones?" _ Lawrence repeated. "Mate, you've got a thousand of them!" 

"Well  _ few _ isn't a number, is it?"

"No, but it usually means fewer than ten!" 

"Snoop…"

"Alroight, go and try them on, I'll sit here and wait…!"

"Merci!" She winked at him and disappeared behind the curtain of the changing room. 

The first few tries were unsuccessful but one dress made Lawrence drop his jaw. 

"What about this one? I think it's fine…" 

She looked at herself keenly in the mirror bottom and up before her eyes went to her friend. He had removed his hat from his head and looked up at her. 

"You look… I mean it's…" 

The dress was sleeveless and white, it fitted her waist very well and had a very open cleavage at the front. It suited her beautifully as her chest wasn't too large. There was a thin silver belt that laced her waist and shone shyly. 

"I need to get gloves that go with it, long ones, and a nice pair of shoes." 

"Uh-..." Lawrence still couldn't speak and that's how she knew that it was the right one. 

"You may go back to the van. I know what I need next, I'll get to you in a bit." 

"Oh, uh, al-alroight, I'll uh, you'll find me in the van…" 

The Australian stood up and headed out of the shop. 

"Lawrence?" 

He stopped and turned. 

"Thank you." 

The man smiled and came close to her, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her dearly. 

"How do I look?" 

She raised her head to meet his eyes. 

"Brilliant, absolutely breathtakin'." 

Leila smiled. 

"Thank you." 

He nodded. 

"Roight, I'll wait fer you in the van, Princess." 

"See you in a bit, dear." 

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Thanks for reading this!

Prepare your tissues, next chapter is the last one!

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	61. Chapter 61

"Your tie isn't straight, Jérémy, let me help." 

"Argh, sorry, I tried…"

"It's fine."

Jérémy let his father undo the tie and do it again. 

"What kind of knot do you want?" Lucien asked. 

"Wait, there are different types of knots?!" 

The Frenchman chuckled. 

"I'll give you a simple one, it goes with your age and your suit." 

"Alright…"

"I am quite surprised you accepted the invitation." Lucien said.

"Well… Now that you're my Dad, it makes things different." 

"I understand. But to accept to be present for  _ this. _ It surprises me."

"Oh, I see what ya mean. I uh… I mean if you invite me, I wanna be there. We've lost enough time that we could have spent together already." 

Lucien put a hand on his son's shoulder. 

"I am delighted you should think this way. Merci. And I'm done with your tie." 

"Oh, thanks!"

"I want to see how Pyro and Engie are doing in the kitchen, can you check on Soldier please?"

"Ya, will do. But don't you wanna get a change first?"

"I can change very fast but I need to be sure that everyone is doing their part."

"You sound so nervous…!"

"Well, you'll see one day when you do the same, it's slightly nerve-wrecking."

"Yeah, I can imagine… Right, you go to the kitchen and I'll check on everybody else."

"Merci, Jérémy."

"No problem!" 

_ \-- In town -- _

"So, what can I offer you?" 

"Whatever you want as long as it's fresh!"

Leila and Lawrence were sitting in a pub. 

"Fine, I'll get a lemonade and I'll get you a  _ 'whatever you want as long as it's fresh'..." _

"Actually, I'll go for a lemonade too."

"Alright, give me a minute." 

The Australian removed his hat and glasses and when he opened his eyes again, his friend had reappeared with their lemonades.

"Oh, that was quick."

"There weren't too many people in the queue. And a young woman never has to wait too long, Lawrence."

"Ah yeah… I forgot…"

"That I'm a woman or that I'm young?" 

"That you look bloody good." 

"Good answer." 

They tipped their glasses and started drinking. 

"So, you're gonna take a walk with yer old boyfriend when we get back to the base, hm?"

"For the billionth time, he isn't my boyfriend and to answer your question, yes. I intend to go back home, wear the dress and take him to a walk outside the base. That's what he wanted." 

"Roight."

"What about you? Have any plans for tonight?" 

There was a shadow of a smile on the Australian's lips. Leila ignored it. 

"Oh, nah, I mean, same old… I'll feed Hootsy and just relax. It's been a long day." 

"Oui, I'm sorry this took so long, Lawrence."

"'s alroight, was fun." 

They finished their lemonades but stayed in the shade of the bar for a bit longer. 

"Wanna head back?" The Australian asked. 

"Oui, Medic should be done by now."

"Roight, let's go." 

The drive back was punctuated by the usual banter between the two friends. 

"You know whot you should do?" Lawrence said. 

"Non, what?" 

"Get yer change here in the van and show up with yer new dress when you go to see him."

"Oh…"

"Yeah, it'll surprise him, shake him up a bit and make him forget that he's stuck in his room."

"That's a good idea actually…!"

"Oi, don't sound so surprised! You make it seem like I never have good ideas!"

"I wouldn't say  _ never _ but well…" 

"Oi, I'll throw you out the van!" 

Leila burst out laughing. 

"To come back to your point, I'll do what you suggested. Let's see if we can catch the old spy by surprise…!"

"Oh yeah, I'm sure you will… Roight, here we are. I'll stay here, you go at the back and get yer change in peace. I'll come out whenever you're done."

"Fine, thanks Lawrence."

She leaned on her side and kissed his cheek. The man's eyes snapped wide and he blushed intensely. 

The door shut and Lawrence heard the back one open. He stopped the engine and pushed the hat on his face, just to rest his eyes. 

_ So far, so good. _ He thought.  _ What a bastard, that Lucien… He's roight, I'd be a bloody good Spook. _

Lawrence closed his eyes as the sun started to glow in orange at the end of the world. His mind rolled back to about a week before. 

_ "I'll never manage to pull it off, Lucien, she's going to see it, she's going to notice it!" _

_ "Bushman! Take this advice, after all I am the expert. It's not a lie if you believe it yourself and that is the best way to lie. It's when you don't."  _

A knock broke his train of thought. The Australian raised his eyes. 

"You can come out, Snoop." 

He did as he was told and looked at Leila bottom's up. 

"Woah… It's… Uh, with the heels and the gloves… And… That red lipstick?"

"Is it too much? Did I go too far?" 

"No, nah, you're perfect, what are you talkin' about, you… Oh… You look like they've got you out of the magazines…!" 

She smiled and looked down at herself. 

"Really? And is the belt alright?"

"Mate, stop worryin', you look amazin', now go and surprise your old man!"

"Thank you!" 

Leila went to the base's main door and pushed it. She didn't see Lawrence jumping at the back of his van. 

" _ Mmmph?! Mmmph-mmphhh!"  _

"What? What's wrong Pyro? Why are you so worried?!"

The fire specialist seemed troubled, anxious even. He grabbed Leila by the arm and pointed at the living-room door repeatedly. 

"What is it?!" 

Pyro pulled her to the room and both of them entered. 

"What the hell…? Guys?"

In the living-room, all the mercenaries were standing up, all around her, dressed to the nines. Suits and a kilt for the Scotsman. Leila looked behind her, Pyro put a small tiara on his own head and the door opened again. 

"L-Lawrence? What's all this about? And where did you get that suit from?!" 

The Australian appeared wearing a dark red suit and a white shirt with a white bowtie. 

"Ask that bloke in front of ya." 

Leila turned and looked in front of her. 

"Who do you mean? Gentlemen, please explain what is all his a-oh mon Dieu…" 

Out of a thin cloud of smoke, like a magic trick, a man in a dark blue suit appeared. He was standing proud and tall, his salt and pepper hair impeccable, his blue bowtie perfectly tied on his neck and his white gloves happened to match her long ones. 

"Lucien? You're standing up? What's all this about?"

"Leila." The Frenchman took the few steps that separated him from her and her jaw dropped as she saw that he was walking without any difficulty. 

"W-wait, you can walk?!" 

"Leila…" He closed the gap and cupped her face. All the eyes in the room were riveted on them. 

"Lucien, what is this?" Her voice was thin and slightly higher-pitched. Her heart was beating fast. She felt like a rabbit in front of a car's lights, moments before impact. 

"Leila, mon amour…" Lucien cleared his throat and put his forehead against hers. "I need to ask you something important." 

Leila looked up in his eyes, her breath was fast and short. She could hear his heart pounding in his chest. 

"Now." 

Lucien took a step back and released her face. He cleared his throat and Leila looked behind her at Lawrence. He was smiling from ear to ear. She raised an eyebrow as she felt like a baby sheep in an arena of lions. 

"Leila?" 

"Oui? Huh!" 

As she turned again to face her lover, she found him on one knee, looking up at her. 

"You… I-I can't do it in English." He switched to his native language.  _ "Tu es ma raison d'être, ma joie de vivre. Je ne peux pas me réveiller sans toi dans mes bras, ni me coucher sans te sentir près de moi. Leila, tu… tu es devenue ma vie, toute ma vie. Je t'aime au-delà de ce que les mots peuvent décrire. Tu es ma dernière et ma meilleure." _

_ [You are my reason to be, my joy to live. I can't wake up with you in my arms, neither can I find sleep if I don't feel you near me. Leila, you… you have become my life, all of it. I love you beyond what words could describe. You are my last and my best.] _

His voice broke and his eyes filled with tears that his pride held back. Her jaw had dropped long ago and Leila had put her hands on her mouth to cover her shock.

"Leila," The Frenchman took a small black velvet box out of his breast pocket and opened it, one knee still on the floor. " _ Veux-tu m'épouser?"  _

_ [Will you marry me?] _

Her irises darted to his, left and right, her tears had surged up to her eyes and she was hardly holding herself back. 

"O-oui, bien sûr mon amour! Bien sûr!"

[Y-yes, of course my love! Of course]

She threw herself at him and fell to her knees, kissing him while their tears flowed. 

The assembly in the room applauded loudly and cheered around them. 

"Le-Leila, wait, this isn't my whole question!"

She stopped dead and broke the kiss. 

"My question is  _ Would you marry me right now?" _

"Now?!" She repeated and her eyebrows jumped.

"I don't want to wait, I can't, I'm way past  _ 'old enough' _ and I know I won't find anyone else. I don't want to either! Besides, you have the dress, we have the guests and even a pastor." 

Soldier saluted them, a wide smile on his lips. 

"So that's what the 'get a white dress' business was all about?!" She exclaimed as both stood up on their feet. 

"Oui, exactly. So what do you say, do you want to?" Lucien asked. 

"Of course I do."

"Alright, gentlemen! Roll out the red carpet!"

The mercenaries exited the room while Lucien held his beloved close in his arms.

"Alroight, Princess…" Lawrence came to Leila and offered his arm. "Ready to walk down the aisle?" 

The lady in the white dress raised her tearful eyes to him. 

"Lawrence…?"

"I know, it should be yer dad but he isn't here so uh…"

"I'd love you to do it for me." 

Lucien nodded to his friend and exited the room too, leaving Leila and Lawrence alone. 

"Did you know about all that?" She asked while wiping her tears. 

"Yeah, I did. He told me everythin' about a week ago when we went out together."

"H-how? What did you do?"

"He had all this organised in less than a day. I took him to town, we bought the suits and everything we needed."

"Wait, how did you do it, he couldn't walk!"

"Well, that's the thing… Turns out the bastard could even run if he wanted!"

"What?!" She asked, dumbfounded. "So he's been pretending all along?!"

"Not  _ all along _ but for the past week or so, yeah." 

Leila rolled her eyes.

"Well, I told you, that bloke's a bastard!" Lawrence joked. 

Leila gently nudged him with her elbow. 

"Hey, I'm marrying him, Snoop!" 

"Yeah, you are, ya lunatic!"

They chuckled together. 

"And look at you in your suit…!" Leila took a small step back and keenly observed her friend. 

"What d'you think? I chose it meself!" 

"You're gorgeous, Lawrence, it suits you so well!"

"Hahaa! Havin' second thoughts? Marryin' the wrong bloke?" He teased. 

"Pfff! Shut up, you!" 

They both laughed until a noise interrupted them. Engie entered the room.

"Sniper, you can go."

"Roight, thanks mate." 

The short man in the grey suit left and Lawrence led the way to the base's front door. 

"Ready?"

He looked down at his best friend. She was holding his arm nervously. 

"I-I think so… Non, wait, Lawrence?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Thank you so much. I… I owe you."

"Yeah you do but yer boyfriend owes me too, and more than you so don't worry."

"He isn't my boyfriend…" 

"Well he is fer now. But yeah, uh, you're all ready?" 

"Oui, go ahead." 

Lawrence nodded and gave a short knock at the door. Pyro on the other side opened it and Leila's jaw dropped. Lucien hadn't lied, they had indeed rolled out a red carpet in the desert like an alley. The mercenaries were standing, left and right from it, looking their best in their exceptional attires. Leila raised her eyes and at the end of the improvised aisle, Jérémy was standing not far from his father who was giving his back to her. 

_ "Take a deep breath and relax."  _

Leila's eyes shot up to her friend. Yes she was nervous. Her heart was beating hard and fast, her fingers were shaking and she wasn't that confident about her knees… 

The Bostonian saw them at the base's door and pressed a button on his boombox. The Wedding March blasted off of it and slapped Leila's ears powerfully. 

Lawrence took the first step and pulled Leila in motion. They walked down the aisle, slowly. The Australian was both proud and honoured to see himself have that responsibility. He was passing Leila's hand from one life to the next. Soon after her arm left his, she would become a missus…

The mercenaries left and right nodded to her, their smiles radiated comfort and joy from them. 

But soon, Lawrence's arm slipped away from hers and she took Lucien's. The Frenchman removed his gloves and still faced Soldier. Leila removed hers too and let them fall on the floor next to her. Jérémy lowered the volume on his boombox.

"Maggots! We are here today under the eyes of the Lord to celebrate and unite those two Frenchies in holy matrimony!" 

Leila's breath had calmed down but she could feel the tension and as contradictory as humans came, instead of the joy of the moment, she was seized with doubts. Was she doing the right thing? Wasn't it all going too fast? Had she thought about it? 

Lucien's voice made it shamble.

"I Lucien, take you Leila, to be my wife." 

_ Wife. _

"I promise to be true to you in good times, in sickness and in health. I will love and honor you all the days of my life."

Soldier took their hands and joined them. He looked at Leila.

"Do you take Lucien as your lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part, you numbnut?"

"I do." She shyly answered, the blush was almost too strong, her ears burnt hot. "And I Leila, take you Lucien, to be my husband. I promise to be true to you in good times, in sickness and in health. I will love and honor you all the days of my life."

Soldier looked at Lucien.

"Do you take Leila as your lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part, you maggot?"

"I do." He confidently asserted.

"Sniper?" Soldier asked and the Australian brought the black velvet box to the priest. He took the rings in his hands, saluted them as if to bless them and handed Leila's to Lucien. It was thin and golden, with a small diamond shining in the middle.

"S'il te plaît, mon amour?' 

[Please, my love?]

She raised her hand and he slid the ring on her finger with a peaceful smile. Leila's eyes went to Lucien's. They were glistening. Soldier then gave the groom's ring to the bride. It was a simple golden ring. 

The Frenchman raised his hand and after their tearful eyes quickly met, she slid the ring delicately all the way to the end. 

"I hereby declare you husband and wife. May God ever bring happiness to you. And you may kiss the bride, hehehe!"

Jérémy blasted the volume again.

Lucien hands went from her hands to her waist. 

"You should have told me I was getting married, I would have bought a veil for you to remove now." She said to him, her eyes deep in his. 

"I've seen you with your mask for too long. I want nothing to stand between my eyes and you beautiful face." 

"You've only seen me a few times with it!"

"It's already too much. Now,  _ viens ici…"  _

_ [Come here…] _

Lucien looked down at her with a proud smile before he bent down and she raised her head, laying her hands on his chest. When their lips met, all the mercenaries applauded and cheered loudly around them. 

They finally broke the kiss. 

"What now?" She asked.

"The cake of course! Pyro, would you kindly please?" 

"Mmph-mmh!" 

"Gentlemen, let's go back inside." He looked at Leila and offered his arm. " _ Madame, puisque maintenant tu l'es vraiment." _

_ [Madame, since now you really are my Madame.] _

She bit her lip and took his arm. Leila looked up at him like the Lord himself. 

"What?" He saw it and didn't understand. 

"I don't think I've ever felt this way for someone. I can hardly hold my tears back…" She sniffed. "Excuse me…" 

"Oh…" 

She hugged him and let her tears go. 

"What is it, Leila?" 

"I'm sorry…" She sniffed and cried profusely, sobbing against his suit.

Lucien held her close and dearly. 

"Don't apologise."

Lawrence approached when the rest of the mercenaries left. He nodded his head up and raised an eyebrow as if to ask what was wrong. Lucien lowered his head and kissed her hair.

"Hey, Spook…?" 

Leila parted from Lucien to hug Lawrence and the sobs went on. 

"What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry… I'm…" She wept her face off. "I'm just… uh…" Lucien handed her his handkerchief and she wiped her face. "I just… I had accepted that all this would never happen to me. I would never find a man, I would never get married, I would never settle with someone, I would end up alone! Not that I can have children either!" 

"But ya got yer man, and he's not yer boyfriend anymore now eh?"

She smiled through her tears and looked at Lucien. 

"Non, that's what I've always said. You are  _ not _ my boyfriend, you're more than that."

"And you are my wife now. I have a wife…" Lucien put his hand on her waist and pulled her close. "Now,  _ my dear and beloved lawful wife, _ would you care for some celebratory cake?"

"Only if you eat some with me." 

He went to her ear. 

_ "Cake isn't the only thing I would love to savour now…" _

Leila couldn't hold back her chuckle. 

"Pfff, shush!" 

"Whatever you told her, I don't want to know what it is…!" Lawrence said and they all headed for the base. "She's way too red in the face."

"Oh I just said that the cake wasn't the only thing I would love to savour now." 

Both Leila and Lawrence stopped sharp and turned to Lucien. 

"Lu'!"

"Mate!"

"What?" He answered with the most smug smirk on his lips. "Let the world know that this fine woman is the most exquisite delicacy I have ever had the privilege to-mh!" 

Leila threw herself on his lips and signaled Lawrence to open the door. 

"Crikey…! Not everyday I'm thankful fer you to make out in front of me…" 

The three of them joined their friends back in the living room. 

"Did you order this cake? It's huge!"

"Nah, Pyro'n I made it!" Engie answered. 

"Non, you're kidding me?!" 

"Nah, we ain't. Pyro's really talented with pastries and cakes. Now here's the knife, you guys cut it."

"Guys, look up here!" Jérémy said and as soon as the couple raised their heads, a white flash split their sight. 

"Merci, Jérémy." 

"Oh, Lord, you had it all prepared, dress, suits, guests, priest, cake…!"

"It is supposed to be the most beautiful day of our lives. Give me your hand, we'll cut the cake together." 

They both held the knife and sliced through the wedding cake. Everyone in the room cheered and got their share. Jérémy made sure the music never stopped in the background.

"Congrats, lads, I wish you all the wee little French froggies that God can give ya!"

Demo took a swig of his scrumpy and tapped their shoulders. Medic and Heavy came after him. 

"Thank you so much for your cooperation, Medic." Lucien said. 

"What do you mean?" Leila asked. 

"Well…" Medic answered. "The check up never happened today. Spy needed you out of the way for us to prepare all this."

"Wait, wait, wait, explain it all to me." Leila asked. 

" _ D'accord,  _ but first, some champagne, if Demoman hasn't gone through it all on his own…" 

"Oi, lad, I got- _ burp- _ principles!"

"I am sure you do…" 

"Look at that!" 

Engie came in pushing one of those metal tables with wheels that he had in his garage. It was covered with bottles of champagne. 

"Do you still not drink, mon amour?" Lucien asked. 

"I'll make an exception for today, I think." 

The Frenchman took the first bottle and uncorked it in a loud  _ poom!  _ The champagne flowed in all the glasses and when everyone got served, they all raised their glasses. 

"C'mon man, give us a speech!" 

"Yes, maggot! You are now worthy of it!" 

"Aye!"

"Alright, fine, gentlemen!" 

The mercenaries grouped around him and Leila. 

"I would like to thank you all for your collaboration with this. Soldier, you are an…  _ unusual _ priest."

"The very best!" The American answered. 

"Medic, thank you for your efforts to maintain me alive and for the small lie this morning."

"My pleasure."

"Demoman, this last minute order of champagne is a life saver, or I guess it's a  _ party saver." _

"Aye, thanks mate!"

"Engineer and Pyro, you have both surpassed yourselves with this cake, it is divine!"

The two friends exchanged a high-five. 

"Jérémy, for accepting this invitation and taking care of the music and the photos." 

"Yeah, no problem!"

"And I turn to you, Lawrence."

"To whom you owe a bloody ton, yeah!"

"Indeed, a  _ bloody ton and a half  _ I should say. My favourite back to stab became my best friend. Thank you infinitely for everything you have done for me, for the favours and the advice.”

“And for the hours trying to drum sense into yer bloody head, yeah.”

“Fine, I shall accept it, but only this once!”

“Also, Mister Leila, you’re forgettin’ to thank someone…”

“ _ Mister Leila? _ I think you’ll find this is not how it works, Bushman.”

“Yeah it is…!” The Australian answered.

“Yes, it is.” Leila added.

“Yes it is then…!” The Frenchman admitted. “But you are right. Gentlemen, this toast goes to the woman of my life, the Queen of my dreams, my reason to live and to breathe. In a word, Leila…” He turned to her. “You are the one I chose today, forever and beyond the grave, to be my  _ wife.” _

He looked down at the one reason his heart was beating now.

“To you, mates!” Lawrence raised his glass.

“Ayyye lads!”

“To you maggots!”

“Ja!”

Glasses met in clear clinging sounds and the party started. Lawrence looked around him. His best friends had travelled a long way from their first encounter. 

“Alright guys, this rocks, let’s dance!”

Jérémy threw himself in the middle of the room and started dancing. Soon, Pyro and Engie joined him. 

“Come on, Lu’!”

Leila pulled her husband.

“Non, come on, I cannot dance on this kind of…  _ noise!” _

“It’s music, you old man, and you don’t need to know anything to appreciate it, now, come here with me!”

“Look, mate, if you won’t dance with her, I bloody will.” Lawrence said, winking at Leila.

“Hands off, Bushman! This is  _ my _ wife! Alright, you want to move with me, I’ll make you spin, darling…!”

Lucien took Leila by the hand and pulled her to the middle of the room...

  
_**\-- Author's notes --  
**_  
End of the journey guys! Thank you so very much for following this all the way to the bloody end!  
  
Special thanks to Cheesepie, Vanarose and all the discord crew. They give me confidence and motivate me to write more floofiness :3  
  
I might add a couple of bonus chapters later, but you don't need them to aprreciate the story as it is. :)  
  
Thanks again to anyone who posted a comment, you guys are awesome.  
  
And thanks Vana, just to make him blush ;)


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